Avatar: The Tides of Chaos: Book I - Earth
by Ciloron
Summary: The Confederacy of Water Tribes plan to go to war, more than a millennium before the birth of Avatar Aang. To make matters worse, the Avatar dies trying to stop them. A new Avatar must try to set everything right, but will he be ready in time, or will his enemies find him before he has a chance of learning how to bring balance?
1. Chapter 1: Humble Beginnings

**I will only leave a few things here:**

**First of all, I humbly request all readers to leave a review, not because I see them as a prestige thing, but mostly because I could really use some constructive feedback.**

**Secondly, I recommend everyone to read the story: _Avatar The Moon Warrior _by Buizel Rubeda, a great adventurous story, set a few centuries after this story. We have been exchanges ideas and stuff to help each other with our stories and we've tried to make our stories into a consistent series for you to enjoy.**

**Thirdly, a little guideline for pronunciation:**

**1. When dealing with the Water Tribe, you will find a lot of names with a 'Q', which is pronounced as a 'K'. It usually follows the patern, consonant, vowel, consonant, vowel, consonant. The first vowel is mostly long, the second short. **

**2. Two names in particular need explanation. Kukuh: (CooCoo), Sali: (Sāh-Lee)**

**Finally, the disclaimer:**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender. (This disclaimer counts for the entire story, I won't repeat myself each chapter.)**

* * *

**Book One: Earth**

'The Twilight Days of Spring'

* * *

1. Humble Beginnings

* * *

Far behind the tops of the Patola mountains, hidden from most of the world's dangers and ado, within the safety of the Southern Air Temple, trained Avatar Kalak. He had obtained mastery over the elements in the thirty-one years of his life, finishing his training at the aforementioned temple. It had taken him longer to become a fully realized Avatar than those who came closely before him. Mostly because of his own perfectionism, it had taken him years to perfect his skills and spiritual insight of each of the elements. When he finished his training, however, he was, without any doubt, the most powerful bender alive at the time. The whole world, including the children old enough to comprehend, knew of Kalak's prowess and might and treated him with the utmost respect, whenever he would honor them with a visit. Furthermore, Kalak had succeeded an Avatar whom, in most people's opinion, was very passive in his dealings, for he never left his home, preferring to receive those in need of his help at the Northern Air Temple. Kalak, hailing from the Southern Water Tribe, heeded to the people's call to be more active in his duties than his predecessor. Whenever there was a call for help, whether it be for spiritual assistance or protection, Kalak went to help those in need. It was no different in the last days of spring in the year which would be later known as the year 1350 before the Air Nomad Genocide by the hand of Fire Lord Sozin.

Monk Tseten walked down the hall that connected the large spiral tower to the training grounds, barely paying attention to who were around him. He nearly bumped into a council member, who muttered some incomprehensible words out of annoyance before straightening his back and head and striding away in a peaceful but strict tempo. Tseten smiled, shaking his head, while continuing his way down the hall. He sniffed in the fresh air as he entered the training grounds, enjoying the slight breeze of cold air along his wrinkly neck.

"Beautiful technique Kalak, although, I think I don't need to say that to you anymore," the monk chuckled. "I do not understand why you are still training here Kalak, as I have said many times before, your training is finished."

"I know master," Kalak responded to his old master's comment, "but I feel like that some of my routines are still a bit rigid…"

The bald airbender shook his head. "He's never going to change," he whispered. "Before he admits he has mastered every element into perfection he will be down the circle of reincarnation three times…"

"You know I can hear you," Kalak said, the tone of his voice was slightly annoyed though his seemingly irritated expression turned into a wide smile in a matter of seconds. Tseten sat down in lotus position, gesturing Kalak to join him. His former student acted on his former master's gesture and sat down in front of the monk.

"Listen to me Kalak," Tseten sighed, "just this once." The monk closed his eyes as he gave his final advice to the, to him, still young Avatar. "As I have said many times before, you are a full-fledged master, not only of air, but all the four elements. Still, you seem to think that you fall short. Kalak, you need not worry, you are worthy of keeping balance, more fit for the job than anyone could ever be." He opened his eyes, staring right into those of Kalak. He could read him like an open book, even though Kalak tried to hide his feelings from everyone, even himself. "I know that you are trying to do things better than your predecessor and believe me, I understand. However, you need to realize Kalak, that this way, you will end up overburdening yourself. And if you are caught in your own problems, how will you be able to help others with theirs? Just hear my words when I say that you are ready to face anything."

Kalak contemplated these words for a short time, but as he was about to respond to the words of the wise monk, a youngster interrupted the moment between the former master and student.

"Master Tseten, I have a message for Avatar Kalak," he enthusiastically said, waving the small piece of paper in front of the old monk's face. Every motion made by the kid caused small gusts of wind to blow the monk's beard and mustache into his own face.

Kalak snatched the message from the kid's hand, who bowed rapidly to both the Avatar and the monk, the latter threw a quick but seemingly annoyed, whit a hint of amusement, glare at the youngling, before running off. Tseten tidied his facial hair, stroking it gently back into place, after which he studied Kalak closely. Kalak seemed worried, frowning multiple times as he read the message he had been given.

"What is it Kalak, why the anxiety?"

Kalak looked up, obviously alarmed by what he had read. "Chief Adok has summoned me to attend a meeting."

"Ah, I see why you are troubled. There is nothing more dreadful than a meeting," Tseten said gravely, pulling his most sour face, before bursting into a thundering salvo of laughter. His former student, however, didn't join him as he usually would do. "Ahem…" Tseten recovered, "why the doom and gloom Kalak? Normally you are more easily amused."

"It is not just a regular meeting master, all the great chiefs will be there. Such a thing hasn't occurred in a long time. Let's just say that it doesn't mean good news."

"And combine that with the vision of the revered councilman…" Tseten fell silent.

"Yes…"

"Do not go Kalak."

"They ask for my help Tseten, I must go, it is my duty."

"You know what awaits you there!" Tseten shouted out protectively. "You will be killed. In his vision our esteemed councilman saw you die at the South Pole."

"There is no way to be certain that would happen now, maybe he was mistaken about the time it happened…"

Tseten was about to object, but Kalak beat him to it.

"I know how you feel about this master, but as you said, I am ready to face anything and I will only know if that is true if I go now."

"You use my own words against me Kalak, you stubborn water rat."

"Well, once you start talking to me, words come out in such an amount that it isn't that hard to find something for me to use against you," Kalak teased.

"You are bright Kalak and I see that nothing I will say will stop you from going. But Kalak, be careful."

"I will master," Kalak said, standing up and saluting his former master as a means of farewell.

Monk Tseten jumped up in a gust of air, saluting Kalak afterwards, biting his lower lip as the Avatar walked away.

"Do come back Kalak," he whispered to himself.

Kalak left immediately, as he had nothing to take with him anyway, departing on his raft, towards his former home, the South Pole.

* * *

From his raft, riding a self-made wave in order to speed himself up, Kalak had a nice view on his place of birth. The South Pole glistened in the sun as the sun reflected on the endless expanses of snow. It had been exactly fifteen years ago since he last glanced upon the beauty that was his home for the longer part of his life. He was born and raised in a small, non-significant village near the center of the Pole. Living there meant living from the hunt, with almost no chance of improvement. Being the Avatar gave Kalak the opportunity to escape from what he had always seen as a prison of dullness. He made sure though, that his parents could move to the main city, the lesser equivalent of the great city in the North. His eyes were set on the city, the place where he was invited to meet with the great chiefs of all the tribes. The medium high walls of the sizable city, filled with small houses made of ice and igloos in all shapes and sizes, were closing in quickly.

Kalak docked his raft at one of the more smudgy docks of the city, more out of need than out of own initiative, the upper class docks were fully in use, due to all of the large, extravagant galleys who served as transports for the chiefs from the other parts of the world. He looked towards the mountains towering behind the city, he knew that beyond those mountains lied the vastness of the ocean. From the mountains, as many claimed, one would have a magnificent view over Tailbone Bay and the snowy plains that lay beyond. Yes, this easternmost point of the South Pole was truly a marvelous place to be, not only in the terms of view of course, but also because of the safety of the city. It was completely surrounded by mountains and the ocean, so the threat of wild polar dogs was minimal. Furthermore, the best healers of the entire world had their home in the capital of the Southern Water Tribe; their infirmaries were renowned throughout the world. It made Kalak feel proud as he walked through the main street of the city, summing up all the great things of his nation to himself, getting closer to the 'palace' step by step. The palace wasn't that much of a marvel to behold, unlike its counterpart at the North Pole, however, it still was the largest and most notable building in the entire city, if not the entire nation. It was at least five times the size of the houses in the city, raised above all other buildings due to its position on the mountain slope. Wide, white steps of compressed snow led to its gate which seemed to be made of refined metal, inlaid with fine blue gemstones. In the gate's center, the gemstones, consisting entirely out of diamonds and sapphires, formed the symbol of the water tribes, the crescent moon and ocean waves. It was this gate in particular that made this building one of the wonders of the world. Kalak had seen nearly all of them, seven out of eight, during his training and travels. The gate, the walls and palace of Ba Sing Se, that alone made three, add to that the Western Air Temple, the Fire Lord's throne room, the sanctuary of the Southern Air Temple and the city of Omashu, which makes seven. The last wonder of the world was a mythical place, a place which, according to most of the contemporary scholars and sages, didn't exist. Sunken into his thoughts, Kalak knocked on the gate, which opened immediately. A servant quickly pointed Kalak in the right direction, blabbering about in enthusiasm. Kalak didn't pay attention to him and quickly walked down the hall. There he stood, in front of a dark blue curtain that separated the hall and the throne room. Kalak felt slightly nervous, a mix of this being his first meeting with the great chiefs of the tribes and his fears of the vision monk Tseten told him about being true. He inhaled, pushed the curtain away and stepped inside. The room was only slightly lit by torches hanging far from the wall, to prevent any heat generated by the flames from melting the ice walls. The room was cold, which was quite fitting for the gloomy atmosphere, Kalak could see his breath developing into many small clouds of steam whom all hastily sought their way towards the icy ceiling. The ceiling, Kalak noted, was draped with all kinds of dark blue cloth, some decorated with symbols or tassels. In the center back of the room, elevated from the rest of the ground on a small platform, stood a simple throne, upon which sat: Adok.

"Kalak…" Adok gave Kalak a nod of appreciation, "glad you could join us." His rasping voice sent shivers down Kalak's spine. Some wrinkles surrounded the southern chief's eyes and mouth and a small grey beard decorated his accentuated long chin. His grey eyes pierced through the shadows dropped by the flickering torches. "Please," he slowly said, "sit down." He pointed to a small stool, part of a circle around a low table boasting a large map of the world. Save for his own, every but one stool was taken. It became evident that the other stool was meant for Adok himself, as he got up from his throne and took his place around the table. "Avatar Kalak?" Adok gestured at the still empty stool opposite of himself. Kalak quickly sat down at his indicated place, inspecting the other attendants.

"Chief, why have you called me here?" Kalak started asking.

"All in time my Avatar," Adok evaded Kalak's question, "let me first introduce you to the rest of us. You might have heard of most of them, but I doubt you have ever met them." Adok's assumption was correct. Kalak had heard of some of the great chiefs, but he had never seen them in person, not even from afar. Unlike the times when he was in the Earth Kingdom or the Fire Nation, Kalak hadn't bothered visiting the heads of state of the tribes. Adok gestured to his right, saying: "Meet chief Ynook of the Northern Tribe, chief Sodok of the Western Tribe," he paused, then he gestured to his left, "chief Zibak of the Eastern Tribe and, of course, chief Ghanak of the Central Tribe." Kalak chuckled in his thoughts about how nitwitted the names for the tribes were, at least their location on the map was easier to pinpoint.

"It is an honor to finally meet you my Avatar." Chief Ynook nodded courteously in Kalak's direction, his long white braided hair dangling in motion with his head. The once great Ynook, a mere reflection of the man he used to be, while still emanating great wisdom, had grown old. He was the eldest of all chiefs, who, even though they treated him with the utmost respect, considered him dead already. He was in his eighties, an age not many reached.

"Indeed… finally," Sodok repeated. His voice was dripping with cynicism and spite. The middle aged man leered at Kalak, studying his every move. He had something paranoid about him, reacting to the slightest sounds, if only by glancing in the direction the sound came from.

"Now Kalak," Adok raised his voice, drawing all attention to him. "as you might know, some of the tribes have had some trouble with controlling disease outbreaks in the past decades."

"Scholars from my tribe," chief Ghanak continued, "have determined the cause to be the historically high population among the tribes."

"Yes," Adok confirmed, "our scholars determined the same. Only the Northern and Southern Water Tribe suffer less from this problem, since we have more space to house our people."

"What is you point, chief?" Kalak asked warily, incenting Adok to speak his mind, sensing that Adok was aiming for something he was not going to like.

"We need more space," Zibak, the youngest chief present, only sixteen years old, said what everyone thought. Zibak succeeded his father two years ago, after the respected chief died in a plague that haunted the tribe located in the Eastern Sea. "Unfortunately, his 'majesty' the Earth King didn't grant our wish to give us some Earth Kingdom territory to colonize."

"Why don't just move some people to the poles?"

Sodok sniggered shortly in response to Kalak's question; the laugh turned into two gurgling coughs. "My people will die if they'd have to live in these dreadful circumstances. Are you even thinking clearly Avatar. My people are used to the warmth of the archipelago, not to the cold of your icy wastes!" Sodok snapped. Immediately coming to his senses, he added: "No offense Adok, Ynook," to apologize for calling their homes icy wastes.

"None taken Sodok," Adok responded before turning back to Kalak, whom he stared deeply in the eyes. The staring turned into peering and Adok's voice deepened. "Kalak, I will be straight with you. We will take some of the Earth Kingdom's territory for our own, not because we want it, trust me we don't, but because we need to." He paused, standing up from his stool, and bowed over the table. "Do we have your support?"

In the meantime, a seventh person had walked into the room. Ghanak the Younger, as he was called to keep him apart from his father, was in his early twenties and considered a great waterbending artist, preferring imposing distractions over brute force. The warrior's wolf tail crowned his handsome head, a bristly beard covered his broad jaws.

"Well?!" Adok urged Kalak to answer, who was too silent for Adok's liking. "What will it be?" Adok was getting increasingly angry and with his anger came a louder voice. Kalak didn't react, his head resting in his hands, seeming to process that what had been told to him. "Answer me!" Adok yelled out. And Kalak answered, still resting his head in his hands, sounding truly shocked.

"You ask of me to do what goes into what the Avatar stands for. You ask me to support a war, to bring rob another nation of its lands. The world should stay as it is, as it has been for the past centuries."

Adok straightened himself, huffing in distaste. He sighed, but consented: "Very well, it is a shame you will not support us, but I understand. Nevertheless, we will proceed with our plan, I hope you understand."

"Then I hope you understand that I won't let you," Kalak responded absently. His head slowly rose from his hands, eyes still closed. The opening of his eyes was paired with strong gusts of wind and a bright blue light emanating from his eyes. The five chiefs and the prince, who had just entered the room, were blown against the walls of the throne room. The strong gust of wind had shattered the throne and blown out almost every torch. The room was lit in pure blue light, cracks started to show in the floor as the frequency and power of the gusts started to increase. How long it all lasted no one really knew, but suddenly it ended. It had been dark before it all occurred, but afterwards only to small flames from torches that hadn't been blown out shone little light through the room.

"I hope," Kalak spoke, being void of emotion, "that you will think twice before putting your plan into action. If I find out you have, I will return to finish what I started here." Kalak looked down upon Adok, who had crawled towards him. Adok looked up, his expression full of hatred, and tried to land a blow on Kalak. Kalak easily evaded the chiefs fist, jumping backwards, resulting in the chief falling to the ground. The rest of the chiefs were on their feet again, with Sodok eager to fight. Kalak chose differently, turning around in order to make his way out and leave the chiefs to contemplate his words. There, when he had turned around, joy, surprise, pain and grief came clashing together in a maelstrom of emotion, where he had been void of it earlier. The joy and surprise to see his childhood friend and crush Zakkana in front of him, the pain of the sharp blade piercing his ribcage and back and the unparalleled sadness to realize that Zakkana was holding the blade. All the memories of bygone times flashed through his mind, like when he first discovered he could waterbend and how he proudly showed it to Zakkana.

"My dear Kalak," she whispered in his ear, somewhat seductively, although the smirk on her face indicated something different. "How will you stop us…" she paused and pulled out the blade, "…if you are dead?" she wondered, stabbing Kalak two more times in his stomach.

"Don't you wonder why she's doing this?" Sodok hissed from behind, plunging a spike of ice in Kalak's shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sure he is dying to know," Zakkana chuckled softly, retracting the blade once more, only to stab Kalak again, her hands red of Kalak's blood.

"We are betrothed," Zibak revealed, slowly cutting a crescent moon into Kalak's cheek.

Kalak didn't struggle, he gave into his fate, choosing not to give into feelings of betrayal, but instead focusing on trying not to feel the pain of his wounds.

"Turn him around," Adok commanded. In response, Ghanak, the Younger that is, shooed Kalak's assailants away, throwing the bleeding Avatar before Adok's feet thereafter. Ghanak the Elder grabbed the Avatar by his hair, forcing the Avatar on his knees. "My apologies Avatar, but things would be easier if you were never to interfere," he mumbled.

"Kalak, Kalak…" Adok tilted his head, acting to be sad, "the most powerful of benders, mastery in perfection, but unable to prove it."

Adok raised his hands, an orb of water formed above Kalak's head. Kalak stared Adok in the eyes, muttering his final words: "Forever you'll remember this moment."

"Indeed," Adok agreed, grinning from ear to ear, as his hands came slashing down, raining spikes of ice down on Kalak. Thus passed Avatar Kalak, murdered by those who once ruled over him.

* * *

"Come Kormuk, we have to stop this. He doesn't deserve this fate." Two women and a man sneaked through the dark streets of the Southern Water Tribe capital, from a side street, through the main street, out of the gates, onto the plains between the city and the mountains. There, one of the few remaining packs of wild polar dogs were feasting on the remains of the dead Avatar, spotting the three, the dogs ran off. "Come on," the woman prompted again.

"Yes Sanna dear, take it easy," Kormuk reacted. The young man and his bride to be unfolded a large cloth. Sanna, Kormuk and one of Sanna's friends started to place Kalak's remains on the cloth. It was Sanna that had heard of Kalak's demise, she worked as a servant girl, and decided to act on it.

With the remains gathered, Kormuk carried the remains to a small pyre Sanna had built earlier.

"A shame that his parents could not be here," Kormuk noted as the flames started to have their way at Kalak's remains.

"He would have deserved a proper ceremony," Sanna added. When the flames started to wither, the three walked their way home.

The next day, Kormuk woke up to the sound of fists pounding on his door. He slowly stood up from his makeshift bed, put on a fur coat and drowsily stumbled towards the door. The moment he opened the door, two heavily armed warriors forced themselves through it, throwing him to the ground in the process. Chief Adok stood in the door opening, casually leaning against the doorpost, staring condescendingly at the man whom he only perceived to be a lowly creature.

"Kormuk, son of Kamuk, you are under arrest for treason and theft, you will not resist or you will be executed on this very spot," the chief spoke. He didn't even bother listen to what Kormuk had to say, or to the questions he had. Adok simply gestured his band of soldiers to take Kormuk to his cell, walking down the street like nothing had happened.

"And that while Kamuk used to be such a respectable man," Adok mumbled. A long time Kamuk had served the tribe as a chief of a smaller village not far from the capital. His service earned him a nice house in the city, which his eldest son inherited, his youngest son, Kormuk, ended up in the… lesser parts of the city. Adok mused on what he should do with the elder son, with his young brother in prison, he might cause trouble in order to get him free. Of course, that would be easily dealt with, but then time would be wasted dealing with the trouble that was caused. He could arrest him now to prevent him from causing any trouble, that too didn't seem to be a good choice. No need to anger those who do not feel any ill will against you. Sunken in thought, Adok walked the stairs to his palace, not heeding the cold wind that had risen over his loved nation. He had work to do, strategies to devise, plans to conceive, plots to concoct. How well had his first two plots worked out, uniting the tribes with a single goal and disposing of the one person who could have a chance at stopping them. It had taken him years to turn young Zibak to his side, starting when his father was still alive, so that together with Sodok, who hungered for expansion anyway, he could fool old Ghanak and Ynook into this conflict to be. They truly believe that this war will be fought out of pure need, whilst it truly is as Kalak perceived, only out of lust for more power. Oh, he hadn't said it out loud, but he knew. He had seen it when he looked Adok in the eyes. Yes, Kalak was not fooled as easily as Ghanak and Ynook were.

"Ynook," Adok huffed as he settled himself at his desk, "unbelievable that that man is to be chief of chiefs. He might have been great once, but now he's just an old fool who has lived long enough. His death would be unfortunate though, it's easier to manipulate him than his son."

"You should be more careful with such statements Adok."

"Yes, yes, the walls have ears and all, I know, but, Zibak, his ancient foolishness and the Ghanaks are far from here by now."

"Anyway, I have done what you told me to. The girl has been arrested and her friend rewarded."

"Is that so? Then how comes that some guards informed me about screams coming from the house when you went in to deliver the reward."

"What?" he tried saying looking as innocent as possible.

"Your acting skills do not impress me, speak up!" Adok commanded, while looking through some papers in the meantime. "The guards told me before I went to arrest the young man about the screams, now did you, or did you not do what I think you did to that girl."

"She wanted a reward, she got her reward. Am I not a gift from the spirits?" Zibak smirked, licking his lips slowly, which, luckily for him, Adok did not see as he was still busy reading through his paperwork. "But that is not all!" Zibak exclaimed after a few seconds of silence. This got him the attention he wanted, Adok finally looked up.

"Did you…?"

"Criminals need to be punished, so I did."

Adok frowned, withholding his anger. "You know that I can't allow this to happen every now and then Zibak. If you need to get rid of your urges, at least do it in a way that no one hears of it. If word got out, my reputation as chief would be seriously damaged."

"Fine…" Zibak grumbled. "When will you pass judgment over the thieves?"

"Soon, after I finished my paperwork."

* * *

Soon turned into the late afternoon, Adok had underestimated the time he needed to finish his work. Now he found himself sitting at the place where only a day ago he had lured the Avatar into his deadly trap. There was no bloodstain to be found, nor a crack in the floor, the servants had done a marvelous job in cleaning up the mess. Ironically, he now had to pass judgment over one of those servants who had helped cleaning the throne room. Adok moved himself into a comfortable position, trying to adjust to his newly crafted throne, which was hurting his back at the moment; he preferred his old throne. Kormuk and Sanna were kneeling, albeit being under the pressure of two guards holding the in their necks, in front of him, neither of them dared to look up.

"Kormuk, Kormuk," Adok sighed in disapproval. "I would expect this behavior from filthy peasants, but not from you. How low the son of a respectable chief can fall…" He shook his head, turning to Sanna. "And you, you who used to serve me some dinner from time to time when I had to work into the night," another theatrical sigh followed, "I had not expected such disloyalty from you."

"It is all my fault, I got him into this mess," Sanna cried out.

"Yet he chose to let you get him into this mess," Adok replied coolly. He studied both arrestees closely, noticing Sanna's necklace by coincidence. "Well that explains," he mumbled, suddenly realizing the gravity of what Zibak had done that morning. Adok stood up from his throne, walked towards the two, signaling the guards to leave. He circled around the two lovers, once, twice, thrice. Sanna started to cry, Adok couldn't assess whether it was because of anxiety, or out of sadness of the cruelty done to her by the young chief from the Eastern Water Tribe; he figured it was a mixture of both.

"I have a problem," Adok said, finally standing still. He looked over his shoulder at Kormuk, trying to see how he would react. "You see, you have an influential brother and you have a secret I don't want out on the street, well actually…" he chortled, "you both have a secret I don't want on the street." Adok saw that Sanna knew exactly what he was aiming at, as she quickly looked up when he mentioned her and the word secret in the same sentence. "Now I believe," he continued, "that the two of you fancy each other, but above all, you two fancy living. What if you two were to suddenly disappear… then suddenly my problems would be gone, wouldn't they?" Adok didn't wait for a reply, but rambled on: "But that would be unfair to the two of you and would still get me into trouble, unless… unless the two of you were to leave out of free will."

"You would let us go?" Kormuk asked in disbelief.

"If you agree to never talk about what happened between yesterday morning and this night, and if you agree to leave the South Pole, yes, I would let you go." He chuckled, saying: "Am I not a benevolent ruler? Now, are we agreed?"

The two didn't need to think long about the offer, hearing the verdict with a feeling of relief; banishment, where death was the lowest imaginable punishment. They were given an hour to pack and say their farewells, before they were escorted to a galley that would bring them to the Earth Kingdom, far away from the South Pole, far away from Adok.

* * *

Ling peeked one last time through the door opening, there in the alcove bed, lay his wife and two sons, one of them eight years old, the other only a few weeks. Little Ling junior rubbed his small hands over his head, rolling on his left side on his mother's stomach. Ching hummed serenely, lying in his mother's arms. Ling's wife had woken up when he tried to sneak out of bed, he didn't want to wake his family so early in the morning, but it seemed she had fallen asleep again. Ling softly closed the door and walked to the edge of the cliff where his house was built upon, in front of him, down the steep slopes of the cliffs he could see the stretching forests where, far to the north as Ling knew, Gaoling should be located. The cliffs encircled most of the village of which Ling was the chief, leaving a gap in the east and south. In the east, the cliffs were cut off by the river Xiao Shan, continuing at the other side of the river, and to the south, the villagers who lived in Hia-Pao, as the village was called, carved out pathways to get to the forest situated beyond the cliffs. If one would continue to walk south for five minutes, Ling knew, one would see the hills, meadows and farmland where most of Hia-Pao's inhabitants worked as farmers or herdsmen. Of course the village was home to some loggers and miner as well, but farming was of the utmost importance in Hia-Pao. Hia-Pao lay secluded from the rest of the Earth-Kingdom; Gaoling was the nearest town, but still a few days of travel away. Ling walked downhill, into the village itself, the chief's house was, in this regard, isolated and elevated from the rest of the village. The first house Ling could see was home to Chon, the village's richest farmer, and Li, his wife. Coincidence has it that Chon and Li had become parents as well, they too had a son, whom they named Sen. Their house was situated at a large pond, connected to the river by two small ditches. To the north, against the side of the cliff and next to the river, donning a large herb garden, stood old lady Ma´s house. Lady Ma, already eighty-eight years old, lived there together with her, also quite old, daughter, Fa. According to lady Ma, all of the boys born these few weeks, three in total, were to be earth benders, which on its own is quite extraordinary. Yes, Ling and Sen were to be earth benders, so that would mean three more miners in the future. Being the chief's son, Ling though, shouldn't mean that his son wouldn't have to work, living in Hia-Pao means working hard in order for the village to survive. Ling walked over a small bridge crossing one of the small ditches, walking past two houses on the left and right, before passing Sui's house. Sui was the third man who had become a father in the past weeks. His wife, Ilu, was still recovering from giving birth to her son about two weeks ago; Sui and Ilu had named their son Kukuh. Ling walked across another bridge over the other ditch and turned left to cross the bridge over the Xiao Shan.

Walking over the bridge, which was entirely made of wood, Ling glanced to his right, seeing a small house, with a small pier connected to it, downstream, outside the protective arms of the cliffs. The small cottage was home to an immigrant family from the Unagi-peninsula, a man and a woman who is with child. Ling didn't know them that well, not only because they had arrived two weeks ago, but also because he didn't really care about them, he believed they were called Ko and An. Even though chiefs of Hia-Pao never let outsiders into the community, Ling had given Ko permission for him and his wife to join, provided that they supplied the village with fish every week, because Ko had mentioned that he used to be a fishermen back at the Unagi-peninsula. However, a place within the safety of the cliffs was out of the question at this point, to do such a thing would dishonor the ancestors greatly. Ling passed a small house at the end of the bridge, the only house on the other side of the river to really be part of the village and continued on a small dirt road leading through a small forested area. More to the east, there were two more passages through the cliffs, leading to the barrows, where Ling was heading. It was a minute walk to reach the passage, just before walking through it, Ling peeked through the trees to see if he could spot Ling the Hermit, who lived on a hill a few yards from the passage. He could see a small shack made of rotten wood, mostly overgrown by green moss. Ling the Hermit used to be part of the family until his wife died ending their childless marriage. Being alone, he had no other family because they had left for Gaoling, Ling decided to seclude himself; not wanting to leave the village entirely, he chose to reside on the hill, still within the protection of the cliffs. Ling still considered the Hermit part of the village, at least more than he did consider Ko and An part of the village. Ling walked through the passage, still thinking about his namesake. Turning around the final corner, Ling looked over a seemingly endless landscape of hills and small shrines. Here and there, a blossoming tree added more color to an already beautiful picture, even though the sun had not yet risen. Ling considered it a paradise, a worthy resting place for the ancestors. Ling picked one of the white flowers along the road and smelled it, turning from the road, walking onto the slope of one of the many burial mounds. On top of the mound, Ling kneeled before a small altar, on which he laid the flower he'd picked moments ago. He reached for the small pouch on his belt, grabbing a few incense sticks, which he put into a small hole on the altar. Lighting the sticks, he sat there, quietly, for about ten minutes. He did this after every full moon to pay respect to his ancestors. Honoring the ancestors was important to the villagers of Hia-Pao, as they had inherited Hia-Pao from the ancestors. Most villagers also believed that the ancestors could protect the village from harm, provide abundance and happiness. Others believed that by honoring the ancestors, the people would please the spirits guarding the village, who in turn would protect it. Ling was one of them, that is why he would go to his great-grandfather's burial mound. Ling the Wise was the first of Ling's family to be the chief of Hia-Pao. He was chosen to be Hia-Pao's chief a long time ago and, after his unrivaled commitment, the position of chief stayed in the family. The sun started to rise, coloring everything its light touched pinkish red. Ling stood up, starting his walk back to the village, at peace.

* * *

In a fast pace, Cheng-Zhu walked down one of the many halls of the great palace of Ba Sing Se. Thirty-nine years of age, Cheng-Zhu was in his prime and above all, one of the most powerful persons in the Earth Kingdom. His hair, in the traditional queue, flopped around in the strict motion of his pace, his bald forehead glimmered in the dim light provided by the fluorescent crystals on the walls. Two guards saw the statesman approach and, knowing all too well what the fast pace meant, opened the doors that led to the dining room immediately.

"Your majesty," Cheng-Zhu shouted from the door opening. Cheng-Zhu started to run, tripping over the long green carpet on the floor, consequently falling down before the large dining table. The Earth King looked up, having been sunken in thought or sleep, as the old king seemed to be tired, quirking an eyebrow at the Grand Secretariat. Cheng-Zhu, still on his knees, could see a slight smile on the king's face. The king sat at the head of the table, flanked by his son and daughter-in-law, with his granddaughter on his lap.

"For a moment I thought you were going to tell me something very important," the king chuckled, "but it seems that, since you are so silent all of a sudden, I was wrong about that."

"Oh, ah, yes," Cheng-Zhu stammered, standing up as fast as he could, dusting off his fine robes. His expression changed from embarrassed to earnest. "Your majesty," he sighed, "I have received word from the South Pole."

"Oh," the king responded somewhat surprised, "what word from Adok?" The royal family, with the exception of the Earth King, didn't pay any attention to what the Grand Secretariat was saying, preferring to finish their diner.

"Your majesty, Avatar Kalak is dead, according to…" Cheng-Zhu was interrupted by the sound of a spoon falling into soup. It was the king's daughter-in-law, who stood up and ran out of the room, clearly emotional.

"Father, please excuse me," prince Zhu Ming whispered to his father. The Earth King nodded in response, after which Zhu Ming lifted his daughter from his father's lap and with her on his arm, he walked out of the room.

"Walk with me," the king commanded, slowly rising from his chair. Cheng-Zhu waited for the king to lead, following immediately after him. "Tell me everything you know," he ordered.

"Your majesty, according to chief Adok of the Southern Water Tribe, Avatar Kalak came to his end when he was on a hunting trip. Chief Adok believes that the Avatar fell down a chasm, broke his arms and got shredded by polar dogs. Some hunters found some broken bones and a half eaten head." Cheng Zhu swallowed heavily, disgusted by the image of the Avatar's remains forming in his head. The Earth King didn't react at once, a long silence followed, until it was finally broken by the king.

"How morbid this may sound, this is the best news I have had in many years."

"What?!" Cheng-Zhu blurted out in revulsion, immediately apologizing for his tone.

"Don't you understand? Now that Avatar Kalak is dead, the new Avatar has been born in the Earth Kingdom, while I'm his king. Not many Earth Kings have had the honor to experience the birth of an Avatar in the Earth Kingdom." The Earth King sounded truly excited and happy, even though he had been fond of the previous Avatar. Avatar Kalak had visited the Earth King more than often when he was training in Ba Sing Se, trying to perfect his mastery over earth bending. The Earth King had always been respectful to the Avatar, since his father was friends with two of Kalak's predecessors. "Now," the king continued as the two neared the king's private quarters, "I need you to dispatch envoys to Taku and Omashu. Tell the kings to start searching their regions for the Avatar and start the search in the city and the region around Ba Sing Se."

Cheng-Zhu bowed before rushing away to do as he was told to. The Earth King opened the doors to his room, sighing deeply. He was tired, ninety-seven years old, and eager to find the new Avatar. He knew he didn't have that much time, being so very old, but this was more than he could have hoped for. He never expected to outlive Avatar Kalak, which truly did sadden him, but the desire to find the new Avatar was greater than his grief. "Well…" he sighed, "tomorrow we'll search…" closing his doors.

* * *

Adok watched over Tailbone Bay from one of the many mountains upon which slopes the capital city of the Southern Water Tribe was built, enjoying the cold gusts of wind. On the other side of the bay, he could see the dry docks that had been built a few years ago. The Southern fleet had tripled its capacity in the past year and that was only the beginning. Production had increased tenfold since the death of Avatar Kalak and at least a thousand ships should be ready to use at the end of the month. A little bit more to the south, beyond a few ice caps, lies the large newly built training camp for the new army battalions. According to the officers Adok had chosen to train these new soldiers, they were making progress. Everything was going so well, but the success had to end somewhere.

"You asked for me Adok," someone said from behind Adok's back. It was Sodok, his deep blue eyes piercing through the darkness of the night. The little light the stars shone was joined by the light coming from the full moon.

"Yes, Sodok, I have terrible news."

Sodok stood still beside the southern chief, sighing loudly. "I fear I'm not going to like this at all." He stroked his well-maintained full beard, anxiously waiting for what Adok was going to say.

"Ynook…"

"Has died?"

"He has withdrawn his support for our war."

It struck Sodok like lightning, he had never expected the old fool to go against their plans. Every time he had met the 'esteemed' chief of the tribes in the last five years, he had really struck him as a spineless idiot, who had no idea of what plans he and Adok were concocting.

"That is… unfortunate," Sodok grumbled. It truly was unfortunate, not only because Ynook has the largest fleet and army under his command of all the water tribes, but also because the Northern Water Tribe is in a perfect position to launch an attack on both the Northern Air Temple, as the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se. Now, with this sudden withdrawal, these advantages slipped through his, and Adok's, fingers.

"We must postpone the invasion," Adok sighed. He seemed to be as struck as Sodok himself, since the both of them had been planning said invasion for a long time. All the careful planning seemed to go to waste.

"Why?!" Sodok yelled out, repeating it twice in frustration.

"He thought we went too far in killing Kalak," Adok answered, trying to get rid of his annoyance by spitting in the snow. It didn't really help, the feeling of betrayal by the mightiest, yet weakest in their minds, chief couldn't be soothed by anything at this moment.

"How about killing him?" Sodok wondered.

"He took the decision after consulting his sons, killing Ynook won't change a thing."

"We can't stop the invasion now!" Sodok yelled, throwing his arms in the air.

"I've already sent word to Ghanak and Zibak," Adok said, "we must wait, increase our forces and fleet and when we are ready, we will invade without Ynook."

"That will take years!" Sodok protested.

"Indeed, but we have no other option. If we invade now, we won't be able to capture any of the great cities in the Earth Kingdom, the campaign would turn out to be a disaster and in the long run, the Earth Kingdom would defeat us."

Sodok roared and raged on, seemingly not listening to his fellow chief's words. Adok just waited for Sodok to calm down, keeping his cool. There was no point in trying to calm Sodok down, as it seemed to work counterproductive. Instead Adok used the time Sodok needed to calm down, to think about what he was going to say to him, when he finally has calmed down.

"Ugh, I hate Ynook," Sodok hissed.

"Are you done?" Adok asked, glancing at Sodok from his eye corners.

"Yeah, yeah," Sodok grunted, waving his hand in Adok's direction. "You are probably right, but that leaves us with one problem."

Adok, knowing what Sodok was going to say, responded before Sodok could even start stating his problem.

"Ynook won't tell anyone of what we are planning to do, or what we did to Kalak."

"Why are you so sure Adok? Only a few months ago you were sure that Ynook would support our cause, no matter the cost. Now he has withdrawn his support, the support you guaranteed he would give, and you say you are sure he won't tell anyone."

"Oh, just think for once will you? If people were to know what really happened to Kalak, or about the invasion, they would blame him as well. People would call him a dishonorable dog for the rest of history, as much as they would call us; he was just as involved as we were."

"That is true, but…"

"Besides, you are forgetting one important thing my dear friend," Adok said with a devilish smile on his face. "His daughter is married to my son and I've made it very clear to him, that she won't see another day if word got out on the street about what happened."

"Do you think people suspect something?" Sodok asked out of the blue.

"No, I just got a message back from Ba Sing Se. They seem to believe our story about how the great Avatar Kalak met his unfortunate demise. The Earth King has already ordered the search for the new Avatar. That old rot wants to find him before he turns into a walking corpse," Adok sniggered. "Speaking of the new Avatar…"

"Ah yes, of course." Sodok gestured at a man who had been standing a few yards away from the chiefs. "Allow me to introduce you to one of the finest warriors of my tribe."

Adok observed the muscular man, who seemed to be in his late twenties. Like Ghanak the Younger, this man sported a small wolftail, but unlike Ghanak, this man had shaved the sides of his head and had undone himself of his facial hair. He had a small scar on his right jaw, which added to his ruthless appearance.

"Chief Adok, meet Manak," Sodok said proudly. Manak bowed before Adok, who commanded him to stand up, taking Manak's arm by the elbow, initiating the proper water tribe greeting.

"It is an honor, Manak of the Western Water Tribe," Adok spoke. "I have a task for you, which is of the utmost importance."

Manak remained silent, listening to the chief's words.

"You must visit the great cities of the Earth Kingdom and obtain information about the new Avatar. Find out who he or she is and where he or she lives. We must know, so that when the time comes, we will know where to strike first."

Manak nodded, he was selected for this mission after many tests. He did not know what his mission was going to be up until this point, but to be frank, he did not care. He did it for glory, to become a legend, a hero for all the tribes, a figure people will look up to for centuries to come.

"I will grant you a ship of your own so you will be able to relocate yourself with ease and swiftness. Don't disappoint me Manak, don't disappoint the water tribes." With that, Adok shooed Manak away. He and Sodok remained, watching over the bay and city from the height of the mountain. Manak sped away, running down the hill, towards the harbor, where his ship was waiting for him. His mission was clear, he was full of confidence. He would go down in history as one of the key persons responsible for the upcoming water tribe dominance. Leaving his wife and daughter behind for a period of time was a sacrifice well worth it, according to himself.

"I will find the Avatar, I will become a legend," he shouted in the open, still running. There was no one there to hear, everyone was asleep within the safety of the city walls, not knowing of all the events that had taken place in the past few weeks.


	2. Chapter 2: The Journey

2. The Journey

* * *

Hia-Pao had gone through a week full of commotion, ever since an envoy from the king of Omashu had delivered his message. All families with children under the age of two had to travel to Omashu, where the young children would undergo a test in order to find out who was the new Avatar. The news of Avatar Kalak's death didn't cause much unrest, many of Hia-Pao's villagers hadn't known of Avatar Kalak anyway. The fact that chief Ling now had to leave for Omashu, since his son was not even a year old, caused most of the distress. Ling was still in council with some of the village elders to see what would be the most appropriate action to take. Little Ling had to be brought to Omashu, not doing so would offend the king and with him the Earth King. Situations like this used to be easy to solve, whenever Ling, or his late father, had to leave on business outside of Hia-Pao, old lady Ma would take his place, not only because she was the eldest, but also because she was considered to be the wisest of all villagers. This time it was different, lady Ma had passed away two months earlier, eighty-eight years old. A long time she had fought against a perilous disease, a fight she eventually lost, not because she wasn't willing, but simply because she was physically unable to go on any longer. Lady Ma's infirmary had been taken over by her daughter, Fa, who had helped her mother ever since she had gotten sick.

All the villagers gathered in front of Chon's house, the place where the meeting took place. Chon and his family had to go to Omashu too, just like Sui, his wife Ilu and their child Kukuh. Chon, Ling, lady Fa and a few others walked onto the small porch in front of Chon's house.

"Fellow villagers, friends," Ling spoke, "after due deliberation, we, as the village's elders, have decided that it would be best if I stayed in Hia-Pao. Chon and Li will travel with my wife to Omashu and I've heard that Ilu and Sui will travel with them as well, so I can stay here and take care of the village, without having to feel anxious about my wife's well-being."

Many of the people who had gathered around the house nodded in approval, some whispered amongst each other, while another group started to leave to go about their daily work. Ling left as well, going back home, where his wife was readying herself to embark on the journey to Omashu. Chon wanted to leave before noon, hoping to get to Gaoling in three days. He had heard from the envoy that brought the message, that a group would start their journey from Gaoling in four days and Chon wished to join that group. The larger the travelling company, the safer one would get to Omashu.

* * *

It was one hour after noon, everyone had said their farewells, when the group left through the most western passage. In front of the group, seated on his ostrich horse, rode Chon, wearing his most beautiful robes. His hair was pinned up in a top-knot, decorated with a small green metal ring, with golden motives, at the base. Chon's family had been one of the founding families of Hia-Pao and one of the most respected families of the region; even in Gaoling people talked about Chon's family with reverence. Chon's father used to be known throughout the entire kingdom, not because of his wealth, but because of his long mustache. Yes, Chon's late father had the longest mustache of the Earth Kingdom and was only surpassed by the air nomads in length. Behind Chon, in a wooden cart pulled by a pair of mule moose, Li and Pingping rested with their children. Mule moose were the main beasts of burden in the region around Hia-Pao, whereas the rest of the Earth Kingdom usually preferred ostrich horses. With their moose-like legs, which could vary in length, could wade easier through the deep streams in the region, whenever a bridge had been destroyed for some reason. Their antlers, attached to the head which was for the most part resembling that of a moose, with the exception of the snout, could clear away thick branches fallen from trees after storms, and sometimes even some sizeable boulders. The rest of the body resembled that of a donkey, short manes on the neck and a small tail, along with a strong back fit to lift, and transport, a heavy load. In the end of the row, guiding a borrowed ostrich horse, walked Sui; his wife Ilu was holding their son Kukuh, sitting on the animal's back. Sui and Ilu didn't have such a rich family history in Hia-Pao as Chon or the chief did, instead they were amongst the more poor of the village. Only three other families were poorer, but since those families included Ling the Hermit and the immigrant family, it didn't make that much of a difference. Sui was in his early thirties, his wife, six years younger, was twenty-five. Both of them were never considered as one of the more good looking people of Hia-Pao, as they were seen more as possessing a rather plain appearance. Nevertheless, their child had been praised as the most beautiful of the three newborns, as little as that meant, it was a nice compliment.

The group had reached their first stopover point slightly before sundown. It was a clearing within the dense forest, along the small path the group was following. Chon sometimes used this place if he had been held up earlier on his way, but usually he skipped this station. However, now that he was travelling with a large group, travelling at a slower pace, this was the best place to spend the night. Chon tied the reins of his ostrich horse to one of the trees around him, after which he guided the mule moose, and with them the cart, into the center of the clearing. He waited for the women, and their infants, to step out of the cart before detaching the cart from the mule moose. He tied their reins to trees as well, as a precaution. The two beasts were very loyal, but if something were to scare them this night, they couldn't just simply run off. It had happened before, and although it isn't that much of an attack on his assets, Chon preferred to cherish his possessions to the point he was right-out miserly. In that perspective, he was the exact opposite of his wife, a caring and generous woman. Li was born the only daughter of the richest villager at the time, the wealth Chon now possessed was partly due to that inheritance. Chon had married Li for the riches she could offer, there used to be no love in their marriage, but that changed when Li had gotten pregnant. Chon turned out to be a loving man, even if it only had relation to his family. Sui was trying to light a small fire, Ilu leaned back against a rock. She was still a bit weak, which worried Li greatly. She didn't know Ilu as well as she knew Pingping, who was her best friend, but, because they were now travelling with each other, Li thought it would be better if everyone got along with one another. She sat down next to Ilu, who was singing a lullaby to her son, who seemed to dozed off. Ilu noticed and stopped singing.

"How are you?" Li asked.

"I'm alright, my back is just a little bit soar."

"Well, it was a long trip," Li agreed as she sensed that is what Ilu meant. "We still need to go a long way."

Sui had gotten the fire started in the meantime, earning him an approving nod from Chon, who had rolled out Pingping, Li's and his own sleeping bag. Sui judged it would be best if he'd do the same, Ilu seemed very tired.

"Well, I'll be glad when arrive at Gaoling and get some rest," Ilu said, smiling faintly.

"Look," Li pointed to the right of Ilu, where Sui had just finished preparing Ilu's sleeping bag. "Why don't you get some sleep before we go ahead with the journey, you really look like you need it."

Ilu nodded, being too tired to answer. Li helped her get up and walked her to her sleeping bag. Sui took over from there, helping her down and tucking her in. She immediately fell asleep. Pingping seemed to have fallen asleep as well, while Chon and Sui were deciding who would take the first watch. Li left the two to their bickering, she thought about how she could help Ilu. The next morning, she would give Ilu her place in the cart; she could ride on her husband's ostrich horse. Chon is enough of a man to be able to walk to Gaoling.

"If Sui can do it, he can too," she muttered.

Li got what she wanted, although Chon had protested, Li had nagged until Chon finally gave in. She and Pingping had switched places, as ostrich horses weren't that comfortable if it was the first time you would ride on them. The way to Gaoling hadn't been without obstacles, a bridge had rotten, although that was easily resolved. Being an earth bender, Chon made them a bridge wide and strong enough to carry the group and cart over the stream, but, since Chon never really trained his earth bending, the bridge collapsed only seconds after crossing it. The greater challenge was to cope with the little children, who woke up one after another, keeping nearly everyone awake with their cries. Only Ilu slept through the entire ordeal, either because she was too tired, or because she was just a sound sleeper. Now the group stood before a small wooden gate, it had no doors nor walls around it. They could see, at the end of the road, in between many green trees and some rock columns, the brown roof tiles shine in the morning sun. The citizens of Gaoling didn't act particularly welcoming to the group, even Chon's presence had no effect to how people treated them. Many of the town's inhabitants, with the exception of the shopkeepers who were profiting greatly from the circumstances, were tired of all the travelers coming through. One could easily understand why, they were not used to the crowdedness. The inns and unoccupied house were all full of travelers, all of them having Omashu as final destination, that most of the newcomers resorted to living on the streets. The streets, in turn, had gotten so crowded that it was hard for the common man to get from his house to his work, or any other destination he had in mind. When Chon had last visited Gaoling, the smell of fresh air and nature was dominant, now he could only smell sweat and feces. The stench was unsettling to say the least, and, since the larger group would start their journey to Omashu the next day, they had to stay for the night, something which none of the five seemed to fancy. Even the little one started to feel uncomfortable, little Ling started to cry, Sen thrashed about and Kukuh, well Kukuh was the only one oblivious to all what was happening around him, he was sleeping as sound as his mother did during the past few nights.

"Well, it seems we were not the only ones with the idea to go to Omashu from here…" Chon noted.

"What now?" Sui asked. After a short silence, he added: "We can't stay on the streets, I mean… I don't wish to spend the night swimming in the dung of all these other people."

"Watch your words dear," Ilu hissed, frowning angrily.

"What? I didn't say something bad now, did I?" Sui half apologetically asked.

"Not yet, but you were going to," Ilu responded pedantically, poking Sui's chest with her index finger.

"But…" Sui was interrupted by Chon, who shouted from the other side of the street. He urged them to come along, impatiently waving at them, while Li and Pingping were taking the ostrich horse, mule moose and cart through a slightly less crowded side street. It effectively stopped the argument between man and wife before it had truly started. The two, Ilu still carrying little Kukuh and Sui holding the borrowed ostrich horse at the reins, quickly crossed the street, running after their three companions. However, after they had walked through the side street, Chon, Li and Pingping were nowhere to be seen.

* * *

The entire evening, Sui and Ilu had searched for their fellow villagers, but without success, they were nowhere to be found. Sui had suggested to make camp outside the village, about half a mile from where they had entered the village earlier that day. Sui wondered why no one else had decided to do the same, he and his wife seemed to be the only ones around. That was until a group of four passed by. They too had Omashu as destination and sought shelter in Gaoling. Sui warned them about the crowdedness in Gaoling, whereupon the leader of the group, Chu, asked if it was alright if they stayed with him and Ilu. Sui was reluctant at first, but Ilu persuaded him, suggesting that company would be nice now that they had lost Chon and the rest. Chu introduced himself and his friend. First of there was Ying, Chu's wife, who had travelled with Chu from a mining town east of Gaoling. On their way they had met Suma, a raven haired young woman, and her husband, Mong, a short sturdy miner, who had pushed a small wooden carriage the entire way. Ilu peeked into the carriage, where she saw three children. Mong told Ilu who they were, namely Moku and Nuna, who were Mong and Suma's son and daughter, and Sheng who was Chu and Ying's son. Mong wondered aloud why Sui and Ilu were travelling alone, pointing out the dangers of doing so. Ilu then told how she and Sui had lost their companions in the crowded streets of Gaoling, upon which Chu said that they could come along if they wanted. They didn't have to overthink it and immediately, and eagerly, agreed. That night, the newly formed group didn't bother sleeping. Even if they would have wanted to, it was made impossible by the noises coming from both Gaoling and the forest around it. Instead, everyone tried to get to know each other more. Ilu found out that Suma and Mong were much younger than she had initially thought. While looking in her twenties, Suma was only seventeen years old, like her husband Mong, who looked like he was reaching is thirties. Ilu reasoned that it was the hardship of being a miner that had put its mark on Mong. The two were both runaways, who married at the age of sixteen, only a few days after they were deemed adults. Ilu was shocked to find out that Mong had been a miner since the age of five and that his father died in a collapsing mine shaft in front of his eyes. In that perspective, Suma's life had been a breeze. She was constantly being ignored by her parents who obstructed her plans of marriage to Mong when she told her parents about it. Chu was a miner as well, although it didn't seem to have affected him that much. Chu explained it was because of his function as supervisor. Sure, he had to do some of the hard work, but most of the time he got off easy. The mine's owner wasn't too happy with Chu leaving, stating that he was worthless if he wasn't around, and so he fired him.

"Once we get to Omashu, we'll never leave the city again," Chu said. "Avatar Kalak gave us a free ticket into the city."

"Chu, where are your manners?!" Ying scolded. "The Avatar died an horrific death, you shouldn't talk about the dead in such ways."

"Horrific death?"

"You don't know Sui? There are some merchants who claim that Kalak was murdered by some thugs at the South Pole." Suma told the oblivious Sui.

"I thought the Avatar had died of old age…" Ilu said, suspicious of the truth in Suma's word.

"Well that's not what I've heard," Chu said, mixing into the conversation. "What I've heard is that he went on a hunting trip or something and fell down a deep chasm, where he got attacked and eaten by wild polar dogs."

"According to officials this is what happened, if we need to believe the chief of the Southern Water Tribe." Ying added.

"Well, I trust my gut over some hotshot from the South Pole," Chu stated firmly, pounding his chest with a clenched fist.

"A hotshot from the South Pole, wouldn't that be more of a… coldshot!" Mong joked, laughing heartily. It took some time before it dawned on him that he was the only one laughing.

"Just don't," Chu advised.

The men spent the rest of the night arguing about what they thought had happened, with Suma sometimes mixing into the conversation. Ying held an eye on the carriage, which now contained Kukuh as well. Ilu pondered on what she had heard about Avatar Kalak, like Ying, she was starting to feel uncomfortable about the chance that her son could be the new Avatar. On the other hand, all mothers would feel this way, no one wants her son or daughter to be a future name on the list of assassins. Only one thing was sure, she missed the peace and quiet of Hia-Pao already.

* * *

Taku, the seat of the great trade king Yong-Shi, the capital of the Hu-Xin provinces and north-western part of the Earth Kingdom. Taku, partly built on a central mountain and steep mountainsides, was almost surrounded by the protective natural walls of stone and earth. Only the eastern side of the city sported a low wall, connected to the mountains to enclose the city, which had a large opening in it as some sort of gateway. It functioned as the only entrance to the city, therefore the walls were highly decorated with all kinds of carvings explaining the city's history. On both sides of the opening, the walls were much thicker, but lower, in order to bear ornate badgermole statues. The avenue leading from the entrance to the center of the city contained many more of these statues, at nearly every intersection, one or two badgermole statues could be found in varying sizes. They didn't only serve as decoration, they impressed all the city's visitors, passing merchants and foreign dignitaries. The badgermole statues at the entrance used to serve the city by attracting attention. If a merchant was travelling by boat, he could easily overlook Taku, because the city would, at some times of the year, mix in with the environment around it. The city was full of trees and plants, hanging from the rooftops or planted next to the roads, giving the city the looks of a regular, for that certain region, mountain. However, nowadays Taku possessed a large harbor at the river banks, outside the city, rendering the statues function useless. For over more than a few centuries, Taku had been the main trading hub of the Earth Kingdom and was therefore its richest city and a great contributor to the Earth King's chests. Along the long avenue, the shrewd traders of Taku had built shops and inns to accommodate the many people passing through. The current situation had been very fortunate for the shop- and innkeepers, who's income had tripled ever since the first families with newborn children had entered the city. They usually stayed for a day or two, only to leave empty-handed afterwards after having heard their child was in fact not the Avatar. Whereas usually guards would question everyone who wanted to enter the city, the sheer amount of people wanting to enter the city made that impossible. The king had allowed everyone free passage for the time being in order to deal with the obstruction at the entrance. The crowds and free passage combined made an excellent situation for a shady person, in search for answers to his questions.

Right around the entrance's corner, at the start of the avenue, in a, for that part of the city, small building, Wei had his inn. Wei's inn was particularly popular among the lower class of Taku, but also among those from the middle or upper class who had to work out some shady deals. For that reason, Pen had dressed himself as if he was part of the lower class, wearing a hood to cover his face. No one would ever recognize him as the proper middle class citizen he is, dressed like this. He sat down at a table in the farthest corner of the room, shaking his robes back and forth, trying to get rid of all the raindrops that had attached to his clothes. He looked at the candle on his table, saw the small flame dancing around, smelled the strong scent of alcohol and wet wood around him, and made a slight gesture at the innkeeper to order a drink.

"What would it be?" Wei inquired.

"Two barley-honey beers," Pen mumbled, raising two fingers to ensure the innkeeper would bring both.

"Served cold?"

"Sure…"

"With or without mango?"

"How much more would it cost?"

"Two bronze pieces," Wei answered.

"No mangos."

Pen paid up front, as was Wei's policy. Wei walked back to the counter, located on the other side of the room, near the door. As Wei was readying Pen's order, the door opened letting a gust of cold wind flow through the room. Another cloaked man entered, soaked by the rain. He, unlike Pen did, removed his cloak, walked towards Pen with the wet piece of cloth still in his hands and hang it over the chair opposite of Pen. Next, he sat down on that chair and wringed his wet hairs.

"You know," Pen whispered to him, "men in the Earth Kingdom don't wear their hair like that…"

"Well, at the moment this will have to do," the man said, running his hand through his hair. Pen now saw that the sides of his head were shaven, meaning that even if he would try getting the common Earth Kingdom haircut, it would either look disastrous or it wouldn't even be possible. "Do you've got what I asked for?"

Pen looked around, making sure no one was listening in on what he was going to say. When he deemed the coast was clear, he whispered: "I've got all the information you need…" He paused, waiting for Wei to put down the two pints in his hands and to leave them be.

"Here you go," Wei said warmly. "Enjoy!" As Wei walked away, Pen continued what he was saying.

"Yesterday, we received a message from the Earth King and I was chosen to deliver it to king Yong-Shi. He didn't send me away, so I heard every word…" he paused again as some lowlife drunk waltzed by.

"Yes?"

"The Earth King confirms the rumors that the Avatar is not to be found in, or the area around, Ba Sing Se. Combine that with the fact that the search here in Taku is nearing its end without any success…"

"Omashu?"

"Omashu."

"Well," the man smiled, "it seems I'm done here."

"You will go to Omashu?" Pen asked.

"Not immediately," the man answered. "First I'll visit chief Ghanak, resupply and rest a little," he told. "Why?" he suspiciously added.

"No reason, just curious."

"Curiosity is what brought you in this situation," the man said, his tone suddenly changed from friendly to somewhat hostile.

"I know, I know, but I've learned," Pen tried to reassure. "Like I promised, I will be discreet about this ordeal."

"That a boy," the man responded. He seemed to relax a bit, enjoying his beverage. Pen couldn't help but notice the scar on his rescuer's jaw. Pen thought he didn't look that friendly, but still that guy had saved him from a sure death, some gratitude and respect is in place. "What will you do now?" he asked.

"I don't know yet," Pen answered in honesty. "If people find out what I did, I'll go to Ba Sing Se, if not… I think I'll stay."

"Anyway Pen," the man said, standing up from his chair. "It was a pleasure, but it's time for me to go. Take care and keep your mouth shut," his whisper turned into a hiss with those last words.

"Sure, I'll be as silent as a grave," Pen responded.

"Just beware, or you'll end up in one of them," the man joked, or at least, that is what Pen thought he was doing. At least Pen was happy the man would now leave him alone, he didn't like being around that guy one bit. He was so intimidating, like something or someone was continuously urging him to be faster, better and whatnot. Pen finished his drink and got up, he thanked the innkeeper for his hospitality and went for the door. He hesitated, there was a chance that his rescuer would kill him now that he had served his purpose. Pen figured that he had to leave the inn at some moment, so he took the gamble and stepped outside, into the rain. Nothing happened, as Pen actually had expected. He ran down the avenue, nearly slipping over the wet tiles, slippery as they were. He turned right, into a dark side street, right again and one time to the left. He reached the stairs leading to the district he lived in and still would live for the coming years. He was still alive, nearly home. He carefully climbed the stairs, every step was even more slippery than the preceding one. Pen looked down, thinking he heard something, but there was nothing to be seen. The streets were empty, for as far Pen could see through the rain. The only thing he could clearly see were the dark gray clouds and sometimes a flash of lightning far to the west. The thunder stayed out, only the sound of rain drops hitting the ground and roofs could be heard. Pen crossed the large square bordering his house and opened his front door.

Everything was dark inside, so the first thing Pen did after storing his cloak in a box of reed, was trying to light the candles in his home. He inched towards his kitchen, where he kept a flint stone his fire steel. He found the drawer in which the stuff he was searching for was and opened it, leaning with his other hand on the countertop. He suddenly felt a stinging pain in his hand, like something was piercing it. He quickly withdrew his hand, smelling it; it was the smell of blood. Feelings of anxiety overwhelmed Pen, who now quickly grabbed the things he needed and rushed towards the fireplace. He stumbled over a chair on his way, falling to the ground with great force. He couldn't stay down, he had to light his fire, so he could see what had happened to him. After striking the steel numerous times, it had heated up sufficiently to light the fire place. Slowly, light began to fill Pen's house, shedding light upon what happened in the kitchen. It wasn't as bad as Pen had thought, he had merely pushed his hand onto a pushpin and his hand wasn't even bleeding that bad. He guessed the anxiety may have had him overreact.

* * *

A large train of people slowly progressed over hills and mountains, through grasslands and forests, over rivers and ravines, reaching the marshlands, the Central Water Tribe. The journey had been without much ado, as the large group travelled the safest route towards Omashu and the sheer size of the group scared off anyone who would have bad intensions. Chief Ghanak of the Central Water Tribe had offered shelter and a chance for resupplying. Passing through the Central Water Tribe wouldn't only mean a safe haven, but also a shortcut of more than a thousand miles. The travelers were met by small groups of water tribe soldiers on spiked salamanders, the mounts the Central Water Tribe preferred to use as ostrich horses don't fare well in marshy environment. The large group was divided in smaller ones, which were all led to different villages where they would rest for a week, before continuing the journey.

Sui and Ilu had been separated from their companions once again, this time not by accident, but when the soldiers had divided the groups. They had been moved to a village close to the northern border with the Earth Kingdom with twenty other families. They now shared a house with another family, a man with his eight children. Peng was his name, his wife had died giving birth to his youngest daughter, who was his reason for travelling towards Omashu. Now that his wife had died, he was hoping for his daughter to be the Avatar, so that he and his family would move up the social ladder. This sounded selfish at first, but after a while Ilu started to understand why Peng thought that way. The forty-two year old thought he would only be able to take care of his daughters if his youngest turned out to be the one. He loved his children, but at the moment he loved Lin, his youngest, most, putting all his hope in what she could be. Ever at her father's side was Ting, Peng's eldest, who Ilu had befriended. She was in her early twenties, but wasn't as bright as the average person would be. In fact, many believed, including her father, that she had some form of mental disease. She was regarded as an outcast in her village, but her father loved her nonetheless, even though he knew she would never find someone who would marry her. She was not only intellectually challenged, but she wasn't the prettiest around either. Nevertheless, she was one of the most caring persons Ilu had ever met. Whenever her father would fail in raising his children, she would take over, filling the gap her mother left. If people would have something on their mind, they could always talk to Ting, who would comfort them if needed. Asking her for advice, however, wouldn't be the smartest thing to do. Ilu had not only grown close to Ting, but also to Saka. Saka, only a year older than Ilu, was the perfect example of a Central Water Tribe citizen. Her father came from the North Pole, while her mother had lived in the Eastern Water Tribe for the most of her life. Both of them had moved to the Central Water Tribe at some point, where they met and married. Saka was Ting's opposite on the area of appearance, she was a beauty to behold with long lush hair and a sun browned skin. Her deep blue eyes could ensnare any man she wanted, but she had a rather dislikeable character, often throwing tantrums over the smallest things. However, like Ting, she could be very caring, the thing is that she rarely cared. Only if you would get really close to her, she could be a fun person to be around, even with her tantrums. The three of them, Ilu, Ting and Saka would spend their free time together, searching for sales at the marketplace, or watching Sui work at one of the many sites set up in advance, as was ordered by Ghanak, to keep the men busy and to compensate for the shelter given to them. They would have to dig in the mud to find phoenix frog eggs, a delicacy in both the Central and Western Water Tribe. Phoenix frogs would dig themselves in, deep in the mud, where they would lay their eggs and die. From their remains, the eggs would get their nutrition, only to rise in great numbers from their mother's grave. In order to compensate for their fast breeding, since the spiked salamanders, the phoenix frog's natural foe, where held elsewhere, the people from the Central Water Tribe started to dig the eggs up and eat them, growing to like the food in the process.

* * *

The week passed too fast for Ilu's liking, who felt like she was at home. Although she had rather stayed, all travelers were requested to leave their temporary houses and gather just outside of the village where Sui and Ilu had stayed. There, chief Ghanak himself bid the large crowd farewell and wished them all the best for the remainder of the journey. It was now a matter of following the coastline, until the Kolau Mountains could be seen. After that it would be the simple case of journeying through the mountains and entering the city, visiting the place where the tests would be done and start the journey back to home. The train of people started moving again, slow in pace, with their eyes set on Omashu. Sui and Ilu had met up again with Mong and Suma, who seemed to have lost sight of Chu, Ying and little Sheng. Ilu introduced them to Peng and his family and together they continued the remainder of the journey, nearly in front of the train. They were nearing the equator, it was getting hotter, the need for water increased. Chief Ghanak knew that would happen, so he had given everyone plenty of water to take with them. Everyone was eager to get to Omashu, the pace increased every passing day. Sometimes, parts of the group would continue to walk, even if it was past sundown. The large train started to fragmentize, chances of thugs assaulting people increased. Sui, Mong and Peng's families had decided to stick with the schedule of resting after sundown, but because Mong had acquired two ostrich horses on the way, he borrowed them from a family member living near the Central Water Tribe, they were able to gain on the front group day after day, until they eventually joined with the front group. By that time, the Kolau Mountains could be seen on the horizon. From that moment forth, they too travelled after sundown, for about four days, when finally they arrived at the feet of the mountains.

"From now on it will be a day, maybe two days of climbing," Sui stated.

"I can't believe we've gotten so far," Suma added.

Ilu didn't say much, for the past few days she hadn't gotten any real sleep. She was having dreams, nightmares, a vision maybe. She had visions before, back in Hia-Pao, for example when chief Ling's father died, she had dreamt about it a few nights before. Or when lady Ma fell down the cliff, into the Xiao Shan, Ilu had dreamt about it a week before. Now she had dreamt about a war, but she couldn't remember between which nations, or villages, this war was. What she had seen is the faces of dying people, she knew none of them. She had also dreamt about the new Avatar, whose silhouette she saw as the Avatar battled against many foes. She had not seen, however, who the Avatar was, or, whether he was a man or a woman. She had hoped the next Avatar would be a woman, not only because it was about time a woman took over, there had been three men in a row up until now, but also because she hoped that Peng's daughter would be the one. The dreams continued to occur following the two next nights, her last dream was the most intense. She saw a man, barging through the door of a house, piercing a man, who looked scarily like chief Ling, through his heart. Through the door opening, she could see a sea of flames. She heard the cries of children, the screams of women and the sound of men drowning in their own blood. She smelled burning wood, blood and after everything suddenly became quiet, she smelled rotting corpses and saw skeletons dancing around a small bonfire. They started to sing, what they sang, Ilu couldn't remember, but what she remembered from the end of her dream is what some of the skeletons were doing. They were throwing children and teenagers into the fire, clapping to the sound of their cries. That is when Ilu woke up, afraid, horrified by what she had seen. She didn't talk about it with anyone, she was too scared to tell and as long as no one asked, she didn't have to remember that horrible dream. She suppressed the memories of her dream and acted cheerful, eventually forgetting what she had dreamt over the course of the day. The day had begun depressingly, but ended joyfully.

"Look there!"

"We've made it!"

"Omashu."

* * *

"Ugh," Dung sighed. Small sunrays shone on his face, effectively waking him up. Dung knew what it meant, within five minutes he would hear a knock on his door, after which he had to get out of bed. He chuckled, it was like he was still living with his mother. He noticed it was unusually hot for the time of the year, whereas not so long ago, it had been quite cold for the time of the year.

"Temperatures are all messed up this year," he grumbled. He got out of bed, stretched his arms and yawned. He was still tired, he had been for ten days straight. There was no particular reason for him being tired, there were no sudden changes for the past month, there was no noise outside his house, he just couldn't sleep all night long. He had tried acupuncture, thinking it was stress, but it hadn't helped. He had tried herbal teas and soups, warm baths, a special diet and evening exercises, still it didn't work. Dung washed his face, picked his clothes and put them on, tied his hair into a top-knot and put on his shoes. At the moment he was done preparing for the day, two short knocks sounded on his door. He opened the door immediately, startling his assistant, Min. Min was only twelve years old, an orphan, whom Dung had taken in. He took care of her and in return, she helped him in his shop. Dung was a simple shopkeeper, although he called himself the best shopkeeper of Omashu. His shop was, naturally, the best shop of Omashu as well; Min begged to differ.

"You are up early, sir," she said, cheerful as always.

"Yes, yes, have you readied my breakfast?" It was a question he actually didn't need to ask, of course she had made his breakfast, she always did so before waking him up. And still, he would ask every morning if she really had done it again, always getting the same answer.

"Of course sir, otherwise I wouldn't have knocked on the door, would I?"

It was all so predictable to Dung, he knew that the next thing she would ask is how he slept, like she would every day.

"How did you sleep?"

"Great," Dung said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Min was oblivious to Dung's sarcasm, saying she was happy that Dung had finally been able to sleep well. Dung couldn't get angry at her, especially when she was smiling as much as she was doing at that moment. "You can go now, but be back before the shop opens," he said, shooing Min away. He could enjoy his breakfast in a complete silence, it seemed that no one had woken up yet. This is how Dung liked his mornings best, eating his breakfast in complete silence. Somehow, the silence changed his mood, as if it had a motivating effect on him. He was ready to sell as much as he could to new visitors and to those who were going back home. For the past month, Dung too had profited from the search for the new Avatar, who had not been found yet, if you would believe the king and his clique. Dung didn't trust royalty, as he saw it, kings and lords would only lie to the people to get what they want, whether that be taxes or support for one of their wars.

"What am I babbling," Dung wondered aloud, "we haven't had a war in centuries." The last conflict he could remember was the civil war in the Fire Nation and the fall of the Council of Fire Sages.

"Hey, whad'ya know, I actually remembered some of the history lessons."

After finishing breakfast, Dung readied the shop so he could open it. He cleaned some parts of the counter he deemed filthy, swiped the floor and filled some the baskets that had gone empty with products from his storage. The storage was getting empty, luckily, a new delivery was due the next day. Dung pushed the wooden screen blocking the entrance up with a wooden pole, putting it in a hole outside of his shop. He placed another pole in the ground supporting the other side of the wooden screen, effectively creating an overhang where he could stall more baskets and crates with merchandise. On the street, he could see Min play with a stray cat, soon she would have to go back inside to clear the table and do the dishes, only to help him in the shop afterwards. She never complained about it, probably because she knew she was lucky, lucky to have someone looking out for her. Many orphans would love to be in Min's position, which she realized. The city was getting more lively, people started to go onto the streets, going to work or to the shops to buy their breakfast; Min knew that was her cue to get to work. She ran towards the door and went inside. Dung could hear her being busy from his place behind the counter, Min would soon take over and Dung would walk around in the store, making sure no one took something with him without paying. Dung was lucky to have a store at an intersection of different guard routes, there was always someone nearby to help if someone would steal anything.

After a few minutes Min showed her smiling little face inside the shop. She took Dung's place behind the counter, cheerfully greeting every customer, calculating the price of their purchases. Min was great at calculations, whereas Dung had a lot of trouble with ciphers higher than ten. Dung noticed the guards were opening the gates.

"Min, new customers, the guards are opening the gates!" he yelled through the store.

"Okay," it sounded from behind the counter. Min was busy grabbing some products from the lowest shelf for one of the customers. "Here you go sir, that will be ten copper pieces… Thank you… Have a nice day! Good morning miss, how can I help you?" Dung smiled, there were a lot of customers for the time of the day. Usually, most people would come during the end of the morning and just after noon, but it was already crowded early in the morning. That could mean a day of great profit, or a very boring day afternoon.

The first new visitors entered the city, most of the looked exhausted, like they had travelled from the farthest corners of the kingdom to get to Omashu. Dung didn't really care, they were potential clients, so it was time for some advertisement.

"Quality wares for low prices at Dung's!" he yelled through the street. "Come shop at Omashu's best shop!" Some guards looked at Dung, portraying the very meaning of irritation. They knew Dung, he would continue yelling until no new person would enter the city, he had done so for the past month. Too bad for them, new people wouldn't stop coming in until the gates would be closed.

"This is going to be another long day," a guard sighed.

"Hey, Dung, shut up will ya?" Seng, a worker at the Omashu Delivery System, who often had to work at the stop near Dung's shop, shouted. "No one is going to visit your shop and you'll only annoy the guards this way!"

"Ignore him Dung, he is just an idiot, you know that," Dung whispered to himself. "Food, drink and household products for a bargain!"A man dressed in a black cloak, wearing some sort of fur boots walked up to Dung.

"Do you sell water tribe products?" he asked, taking off his hood.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I sell water tribe necklaces and I might have some phoenix frog eggs in store, but I'm afraid that's all," Dung answered. "Look around and if you're interested in anything you can pay at the counter." The man nodded and started browsing through Dung's wares. After a few moments he had found what he wanted, grabbed a bag from his belt and filled it with the eggs Dung had mentioned earlier. He walked towards the counter, patiently waiting in the line.

"Good morning sir, how can I help you?"

"Got me a bag of eggs," the man answered.

"Okay, was that all?" Min asked. The man stared at her, emptily. "Sir?"

"No…" he hesitantly said, he pointed to one of the necklaces on the counter. "One of those please." Min reached her arm out to give the man the necklace he wanted, but he refused to take it. "I'll buy it for you, consider it a gift."

"Okay…" Min said, overcome by the stranger's kindness. "That'll be two silver pieces for the eggs and fifteen copper pieces for the necklace."

"Here are the copper pieces," the man said, laying down fifteen copper coins on the counter. "I'd like to see if it suits you."

"The necklace?" Min asked. The man nodded, waiting patiently for Min to put the necklace on. "How does it look?"

"It looks absolutely," the man paused. He looked around, seeing an open path leading to the gates he yelled: "Great!" and started running as fast as he could. Min was frozen to the ground, but Dung had seen everything and acted.

"Thief!" he yelled. "Guards, get him!" He pointed frantically at the man who was getting closer to the gate. The guards were too slow, the thief dived through their arms. "You are doing this on purpose!" Dung shouted angrily at the guards, thinking the guards were using the opportunity to get back at him for yelling across the street for the past month. The guards were wise enough to ignore Dung and started to chase the thief. The thief laughed, looking over his shoulders to see how far the guards were behind, but because he was looking behind him, he couldn't see the cart in front of him. With a dull blow the thief ran into the cart, bringing its pusher out of balance. The poor man fell on his back and his cart started to roll down the narrow pass, eventually crashing into the depth of the ravine around the city.

"My cabbages!" the man cried loudly, tears came to his eyes.

"My eggs!" Dung screamed subsequently.

"He must pay for this!" they both said in unison at the captain of the guard, who had walked out of his office near the gate.

"Yeah, yeah, hold your horses. He will be brought before the king within a matter of time, he will get what he deserves."

"Beheading!" the cabbage merchant suggested.

"Quartering!" Dung blurted out. The merchants looked at one another.

"Throw him off this very cliff like he did to our products!" they yelled in unison.

"Calm down and get back to work, the king will take care of this!" the captain said sternly.

"My work is down that cliff!" the cabbage merchant protested. "I can't just…"

"Get new cabbages!" the captain barked. Escorting the thief with a few other guards towards the palace.

* * *

Dung gave Min the rest of the day off, she was still shocked by what had happened that she made to many mistakes. Dung deemed it better to let her get back to her senses before allowing her to work again. What Dung had feared didn't turn out to be that bad, even though it was calmer than usual, he still had a few customers every hour. The ordeal with the thief had given him some publicity, as most of the new people had visited his store. How did he know they were among the newcomers? Dung wasn't great with numbers, but he had a perfect memory when it came to faces. For instance, the thief had a small scar on his right jaw, his second customer this day was a man from three blocks away and the fifth newcomer to buy something at his story, what happened a month ago, was a young woman with her hair in such an abstract figure that it was hard to forget her obnoxious demanding attitude. Dung's eyes drifted towards the gate, a new group came in; among them were three men, four women and at least four little girls. Dung tried his luck again: "Quality merchandize for reasonable prices!" It seemed to work, the women chatted amongst each other, nodded, chatted some more until one of the women entered the store and started browsing through his goods.

"Are you here to let you child be tested ma'am?" Dung asked.

"Yes, me and my husband have come from one of the most southern villages to let our son get tested here," she replied, grabbing a few mangos.

"Southern village… are you from Gaoling?"

"No, Hia-Pao, you probably never heard of it."

"Hia-Pao… Hia-Pao, where have I heard that name before…" he wondered out loud, he did that a lot. "Oh, of course! Another customer said he was from Hia-Pao… ehr… I believe his was Kong?"

"Chon was here?!"

"I don't know who Chon is ma'am, but he might as well have been here. This is, of course, Omashu's best shop."

"No, I mean, the man you meant… his name is Chon," the woman tried to explain.

"Ma'am, I almost never forget a face, nor do I forget names. I have never met a certain Chon this day," Dung replied a-matter-of-factly.

"Never mind," the woman said, she sounded frustrated; Dung couldn't figure out why the woman was frustrated, guessing it had to be because of the long journey. "This will be all." The woman paid what she had to pay and walked off.

"Have a nice day ma'am, enjoy Omashu!" Dung waved from behind the counter, but the woman didn't respond. "Pff, travelers…" he huffed, welcoming his next customer with genuine enthusiasm.


	3. Chapter 3: The King's Test

3. The King's Test

* * *

Omashu left many visitors in awe, with its impressive high walls, its grand buildings and its ingenious delivery system. Its people were friendly, compared to how the people of Gaoling were, although that was under different circumstances. Merchants tried to win over as many visitors as they could, offering them bargain prices for handy products to be used on the way back.

"As if," Suma scoffed, turning down another shopkeeper. "We won't need any of those products, we are here to stay." She and Mong had been in a very good mood ever since the group had seen Omashu for the first time.

"Ah," Mong sighed contently, "do you smell that?" he asked Sui.

"What?"

"It is the smell of freedom, of a carefree life!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "Do you hear that?" he then asked.

"What?" Sui replied, now sounding a bit annoyed.

"The sound of happiness, of course," he responded, adding a little dance to show that he was in an exceptionally good mood. "Do you see that?"

"WHAT?!" he yelled. He didn't care about what there was to see in the city, Sui wanted to get in, let Kukuh get tested, get out and return to Hia-Pao and all of it sooner rather than later. It seemed like Mong was oblivious to all of that, leaning shoulder to shoulder with Sui.

"Gold, money, ching-ching, you know, rich people," he whispered to Sui, grabbing Sui's head at the top, turning it to the right where Mong had spotted a group of upper class citizens walking down the street. They were dressed in sophisticated long robes of different shades of green, decorated with yellow motifs. The women with upswept hair, while the men had shaved their foreheads and sported the traditional queue.

"Look at their hair," Suma gasped, "it looks so pretty on them!"

"I'm sure it would look pretty on you too, once we are settled here," Mong commented, winking at his wife.

"Well, that looks like too much work for me," Ilu said after having been silent ever since she had volunteered to buy some food at some shop near the gate. When she went to the store she was cheerful, when she came back, however, she seemed to by agitated for some reason Sui didn't know. It was not like the shopkeeper had been a jerk, for as far as Sui had seen him. On the other hand, Sui had not heard what the shopkeeper said, so it could be that the man had said something mean to Ilu.

In order to cheer his wife up, Sui responded: "You don't need to, you look great as you are."

"Oh, so you think I don't?!" Suma snapped at him.

"I never…"

"Doesn't my hair look good to you, Mong?!"

"Wha?"

"You think my hair looks horrible, don't you?"

"Honey, I…" Mong was interrupted by commander Paan of the Omashu Royal Guard.

"Alright, if the next group would please come with me, it is time to test your children!" he shouted to all the people gathered near the entrance of the palace, on top of Omashu's central and highest mountain. The test would take place there, overseen by the king of Omashu himself, king Batu. Without complaints, the group followed commander Paan and two of the king's servants, Thuu and Thoo, while being escorted by a small host of guards. The grand palace doors were opened by the means of earth bending, a hall led straight into the largest mountain upon which the city was partly built. Everything looked so normal, beside the fact that the palace was carved into a mountain, the palace didn't give Sui a royal impression. Commander Paan opened another door with earth bending, leading to an even longer hall, about halfway through the first hall. Thuu and Thoo walked down the main hall, while the rest of the group follow Paan. It was a simple hallway, whereas the first hall was decorated with green tapestries and carpets, this one was just stone, stone and more stone, with here and there a glowing crystal growing out of the wall. The crystals served as a natural light source for the palace, as candles and torches would use more oxygen than the air vents could possibly deliver, commander Paan explained, his voice echoing through the long hall. At the end of the hall he halted, took a firm stance and pushed his hands against the wall, grasping the stone and pulling it down, creating a large opening for all the people to pass through.

"I wish you the best of luck and I will see you once the test is over," he said. They went past him, five by five, until everyone had stepped into a large courtyard, which looked a lot like some sort of dueling arena. Paan closed the opening after entering the courtyard himself, waiting for what was to come.

* * *

"Your majesty, your humble servant is to your disposal," an elderly man said, kneeling down before his ruler on one knee, with one fist firmly to the ground and his other arm folded over his chest.

"Agent Sipong," the king spoke solemnly, "I have received multiple messages from throughout the kingdom confirming that the Avatar has not been found yet. That means that, with all certainty, the Avatar will be found in Omashu. However, king Batu hasn't taken the liberty to send me weekly reports, which means I'm in the dark concerning the search for the Avatar in Omashu. I want you to travel to Omashu, find out who the Avatar is and where he lives and send me a report once you find out. After that you must follow the Avatar's every move from a distance and keep me posted on how he is faring. Once he reaches the age of sixteen, you must come forward and bring him to Ba Sing Se, where he will finish his earth bending training under my supervision, or my son's, until he is ready to depart for the Fire Nation."

"I will serve the Earth Kingdom and its king to the greatest extent possible, I will not disappoint you, your majesty," Sipong responded.

"You better not disappoint me, Sipong. If you do, you'd better not return to Ba Sing Se, or the regions around it. If you fail and I succeed to find you, well… it won't end pretty for you," the king spoke sternly. "Leave, take the ferry to Full Moon Bay and from thereon, you are on your own. You may choose a mount from the Royal Stables, as a token of goodwill from me. Don't misuse it!"

Sipong stood up, bowing to his king, slowly backing up still bowing towards the king, until he had left the throne room and the doors were closed. He turned around and strutted down the hall, where he, now in between the high pillars that supported parts of the palace's roof, had a great view over the upper and parts of the middle ring of Ba Sing Se. He quickly walked down the stairs, which still took him quite a while, not being as agile as he used to be. He crossed the large courtyard, exiting the palace grounds through the main gate. He had to get to his house as fast as he could, since he knew his king wouldn't appreciate a long wait before he got to Omashu and since it was an entire day's travel to get out of the city from his house in the first place, it would be best if he did it without any delay. After that it would take about half a day to get to the outer wall, from where it wouldn't be that far to reach the ferry. Already planning the fastest route, Sipong entered his house, where he looked at a painting of the Earth King, hanging in the middle of the living room. He kissed the tips of his fingers, pointing them at the painting, after which he joined his hands together like he was praying, bowed and said: "Hail the Earth King, long may he reign." It was standard procedure for anyone who would get home, or leave home, especially after having visited the Earth King in person. The Earth King wasn't just kingly, he was divine and had to be treated that way. Sipong rushed to his bedroom, where he opened his closet. He took out a backpack, filled it with some clothes, most of them simple cloths and went back to the living room, where he opened his storage cabinet. He took with him some bread and water, and finally grabbed a small locket from a sideboard near the door. He repeated the same ritual as when he entered his house, paying homage to the Earth King, after which he left his house and started his walk through the city. Getting out of the Upper Ring was easy, while passing through the Middle Ring was somewhat harder. The Lower Ring would take longest, because of the many narrow roads, swinging back and forth between small houses and apartments. Getting through the Lower Ring as an upper class citizen was dangerous as well, many thieves lurked in the shadows of back alleys, or even on the roofs of buildings. Sipong was not afraid, he wasn't an agent in the Royal Secret Agency for nothing. He was a master earth bender, experienced and unmovable. The Royal Secret Agency was an organization created by the fifth Earth King, who needed spies throughout the Earth Kingdom to see if the vassals were still loyal to the Earth King. The Agency was nearly two thousand years old, making it the eldest institution in the Earth Kingdom at the moment. Agents answered directly to the king, with no person functioning like middle man. The fifth Earth King deemed such a position as possibly dangerous to the authority and autonomy of his own position. The Earth King would select agents himself and send them on mission when it pleased him. No one knew exactly who in the city were part of the Agency. There were agents among middle and upper class citizens, but also among the lower class and those who lived outside of Ba Sing Se. Only the Earth King knew who his agents were, while the agents themselves, including Sipong, did not know his colleagues, nor had he ever seen them.

Sipong suddenly remembered that the Earth King had given him permission to take a mount from his stables. It was too late now, he was nearly halfway through the middle ring. Turning back now would delay him for at least a day, so Sipong decided to go to the ferry on foot and confiscate an ostrich horse once he was on the other side of the great lake. He could do so with the authority given to him by the Earth King and since he had his locket, bearing the Earth King's seal, with him, he could prove that he was an agent. He quickened his pace, evading any people in his way, wanting to reach the Lower Ring before noon.

* * *

"Cheng-Zhu," the Earth King shouted from his throne. The Grand Secretariat bowed before his king, awaiting the king's orders.

"I have sent an agent to Omashu, to check if there is any progress made on finding the Avatar. I want to know if you have received any message from king Batu."

"None as of yet, your majesty, but I'm sure…"

"Who does he think he is, that he can let me, his Earth King, wait for so long!" the king raged. "He's a great king and he's done good things for Omashu, but, argh, does he wait long before sending reports to me."

"Your majesty, I'm sure that if we are patient…"

"Patient? I haven't got time for patience," the king yelled in his advisor's face. "I'm old Cheng-Zhu, it won't be that long before I pass away," he wailed.

"Nonsense your majesty, you're not even hundred years old and you're still the picture of health."

"Oh, I know, but wasn't it the same with my father? He was in good health, not even in his fifties, yet still he died of a heart attack. No, Cheng-Zhu, my friend, life can end all of a sudden. Just look at what happened to Avatar Kalak, who was in his prime when he fell to his death."

"Actually, you majesty, he was eaten alive by wild polar dogs," Cheng-Zhu corrected. The Earth King was silent, looked Cheng-Zhu in the eyes and said:

"It still supports my point, life can end when you least expect it. Now leave, I'll need to attend my granddaughter's birthday."

"But your majesty, Hongying's birthday is still a week away…"

"I know, but the upcoming week I must attend several meetings with dignitaries from Taku and the Northern Air Temple, so I'm afraid I won't have time to celebrate once her birthday comes," he explained. "Now shoo, you're wasting precious minutes!"

* * *

"You there, wake up!" a prison guard shouted from the opening in the wall of the room. Manak slowly opened his eyes and looked at the guard. He was holding a bowl with bread. "I've got some food for you."

"How nice," Manak said sarcastically. "What about some water?" he asked. "I haven't drunk anything in a long time." The guard narrowed his eyes, observing Manak's every movement.

"Very well thief, I'll get you some water," the guard said after a short silence. With that, the guard left, closing the opening with earth bending. Manak smirked, everything was going according to plan. He had gotten himself a free ticket into the king's palace, even though he was now in its prisons. It was only a matter of time before he could escape, the prison guard was already quite helpful. It was also very fortunate that king Batu had no time to pass judgment over him, since he was too busy testing group after group to find the Avatar. That means he had to stay in a temporary holding cell, which was closer to where Manak wanted to be than the dungeons deep inside the mountain. Now that the guard was gone for a while, Manak had just enough time to prepare. Standing near where the guard had entered earlier, he loosened his belt and started to pee. After finishing, he fastened his belt again and waited patiently for the guard to return. He didn't have to wait long, about a minute later a hole was opened in the wall and the guard stood in it with a bowl of water in his hand. Manak grinned.

"Right in time," he said, pulling his arms back, drawing water from the bowl and the place he had just peed. Before the guard could react, water splashed his face. Manak kept hosing the poor man with the little amount of water he had, walking through the opening the guard had created. He forced the guard against the wall, but didn't stop there. He kept going on till the guard had been unable to breathe for too long, he tried to, but only got water in his lungs. The guard slowly slid down the wall, his face still fully covered with water, Manak stopped once the guard had stopped moving. The guard had drowned by only a little amount of water. Manak observed the hall he was in, he had observed maps of the palace at the Central Water Tribe and so he knew he had to go straight on, through two more hallways to reach the place he wanted to be at. Again, it was only a matter of time till the next guard would pass through the hall he was in, which meant a path straight to the king. Who else would the guard turn to if he found a dead colleague near the holding cells. Reaching the king would eventually mean finding out who the new Avatar is, which was his mission.

He deemed it safe enough to bend the water out of the guard's lungs, he looked dead enough. It was important not to leave any clues that he was a water bender. He dumped the water back in the bowl, which he then threw to the ground. He then walked back to the dead guard, whom he threw on his stomach, planting his foot with as much force on the guard's neck. The guard's neck snapped, making it look like that was the cause of death. Manak walked towards the end of the hall and waited.

After about ten minutes, the wall opened and another guard stepped in. After the guard had taken a few steps inside, Manak sneaked into the next hall behind the guard's back. Around the corner, Manak waited again, hearing the guard scream in horror. Only seconds later, the guard ran through the opening, back into the hall he came from. He didn't look to his right, if he had done so, he would have seen Manak waiting, but instead he kept his eyes to what was in front of him. Manak got up as silent as he could, and tiptoed after the guard to the end of the hall. That way, the guard led him to his destination, the arena. There he hid behind a low wall, as the guard went on to deliver the horrible news to the king, who wasn't present. Manak had a perfect view from his hiding place at the king's stands, looking over the arena grounds. So far, his plan had worked without a single flaw, if the Avatar had not been found yet, this was the only place he could still be found. The only thing Manak now needed was a bit of luck and a lot of patience, the latter, Manak possessed, now only the universe had to favor him.

* * *

The group was still waiting in the, what they thought to be the courtyard. They had been gathered there for about an hour now, with no one showing up to begin the test, whatsoever.

"The king will be here soon," one of the guards had said, but that was already twenty minutes ago.

"Hey look Ilu," Sui exclaimed suddenly, pointing to the far end of the courtyard, "that's Peng and his daughters."

"And there," Suma pointed to the back end, "Chu and Ying."

"Maybe Chon, Pingping and Li are here as well," Ilu said, scanning the area for the three aforementioned. It was without success, she didn't find them. There was no time to meet up with either Peng and Ting or Chu and Ying, because finally something seemed to be happening on one of the balconies. Two guards entered through an overshadowed opening with behind them, an old man dressed in fine green robes. His balding head was covered by a dark green hat, a Mian Guan, with nine strands of nine light green beads draped in front and behind his face. He leaned on the balcony's edge, peering at the people in the arena. The guards knew the drill by now, the king would stare at them like this for a minute, then he would say that all the people could leave and a new bunch could be brought in. The guards waited for the order, which didn't come. He sighed, tapped his long frail fingers against his dry lips. He turned around, took two steps, before jumping back into the position he was in moments ago, scanning the arena again. The people, and guards, were puzzled by the king's actions, who repeated the same thing for another three times.

"That man is mad…" some of the people in the arena whispered.

The ground began to quake, the arena grounds split in half through the work of the king.

"Guards!" he spoke loudly. "Remove that group!" he commanded.

"Uh, which group sir?" a guard asked.

"What do you mean with 'which group'?"

"You uh, didn't exactly point out which group you meant," the guard responded.

"Must I explain everything? It is the group to the left of the most important person in the room!"

"Very well sir," the guard said. He walked to the edge of the balcony and commanded: "That group may leave," pointing to his left. Ilu felt a surge of relief flow through her, Kukuh was not the one. She was also happy to see Peng and Ting rejoice, as they were in the group that was allowed to stay.

"Come Sui," she said to her husband, "let's go home."

"Hold on just a second!" the king shouted. "What do you think you are doing?!" he yelled at the guard.

"Sir, you said…"

"I believe I said to the left of the most important person, did I not?"

"Yes, sir, that is why…"

"Well who is the most important person in this room?" the king asked angrily.

"Y-you sir," the guard stammered. The king's expression turned grim, he was frowning deeply increasing the depth of his wrinkles. He stared like that at the guard for a few seconds, before bursting into laughter.

"Foolish youngling," he laughed, holding his hands in a way he looked like a singing groundhog, "I'm not the most important person in this room, the Avatar is!" The king spoke out what he had been thinking ever since he laid his eyes on the group of people for the first time. He could sense the Avatar, he could feel his energy.

"So the group to our right must be sent away?"

"Exactly… eh… ahem," he paused. "Send the group to the left side, which is our right side, away!"

"No!" Peng cried out, being prompted by a guard to leave the arena, holding onto every he could grab. Eventually three guards had to remove him, with Ting following them holding little Lin. Ilu felt like the ground was disappearing from under her feet, her relief had turned into great sorrow and anxiety, especially since the king had declared that the Avatar was present within the room.

"Now, I must ask the parents with children younger than nine months, or older than one year and a half to leave as well," the king declared.

"Well, I guess we're done here," Mong said. "Moku and Nuna are nearly two years old." Sui and Ilu said their goodbyes to their friends, who were being escorted out. They also saw Chu and Ying leave with their son, Sheng, who was too young to be the Avatar. Now, only a group of ten children were left; three boys, seven girls. The king lowered the balcony with his earth bending and beckoned the parents to come over with their children.

"Come, come, we need to get to another room in order to find out who the Avatar is." Everyone stepped onto the balcony, which the king raised so that the small group could leave for the next room. "It's fascinating, isn't it. It all began with millions of people travelling to the large cities of the Earth Kingdom, only to be disappointed, and now out of all those people, these ten children are the final ones to be tested. One of them will be our new Avatar. Millions, ten, one," he repeated. He looked to the people around him, all of them were tensed, anxious. "Hmm, I feel a lot of anxiety among the lot of you."

"Well your majesty," a woman dared to speak up. "We've heard horrible stories about what happened to Avatar Kalak."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes," another man confirmed. "I have a few thugs cornered him in at the South Pole Circus, which they burned to the ground with Avatar Kalak still in it."

"Oh yes, I've heard," the king nodded, eyeballing at the man who talked last. "I heard the fire was pretty in tents." The king's joke didn't land, an awkward silence followed. The silence was broken when the king showed them the room where the test would take place. It was a small room with a high roof, filled with all kind of statues of strong warriors and beautiful women. In the middle of the room, Batu created a small throne for him to sit on. He sat down and waited. Minutes passed, everyone waited patiently, but nothing happened. "I feel like I'm forgetting something…" king Batu said slowly. He scratched his cheek and rested his hand on his fist. He jumped up from his throne after a few second, pointing his finger high above his head. "Of course!" he exclaimed. His eyes followed the jingling beads on his hat, making him fall back into his throne out of dizziness. "Put your children on the ground and let them be," he ordered. The parents put their children down, who crawled, or walked if they could, through the entire room. Some played with one another, a girl climbed onto Batu's lap, playing with the beads hanging from his hat. Again, the parents and king waited, longer than before, but nothing happened. The children started to calm down, some of them crawled back to their parents, while the girl on Batu's lap had fallen asleep. He asked the girl's mother to take back her daughter, so that he could stand up."Well, I think we're about done now," the king said. He looked through the room, a smile appeared on his face. "We seem to be missing someone," he said. His eyes shifted to the far corner of the room, where in the shadows a little boy was playing with something. The king walked to the boy, studying him closely. He was playing with a small, rotten, wooden statue. "Behold!" the king shouted, the boy ignored him, preferring to play with the statue. "Your new Avatar!"

* * *

It was like she walked on a bridge, falling to pieces. She tried to hold onto the cliff side, but it did not matter, she fell into the darkness beneath her. "No!" she cried out. Everyone looked at her, confused, with compassion, some like she was crazy. "No, that can't be true," she sobbed. King Batu ordered his guards to lead the other parents and their children away, wanting to speak with Sui and Ilu in private. She was still crying, her husband stood around, not really knowing what to do, while their son was still busy playing with the wooden statue. King Batu laid his hand on Ilu's shoulder as a sign of compassion and waited for her to calm down. Sui, in the meantime, picked up his son and held him in his hands.

"Would you please give that back to me?" Batu asked to Kukuh, holding his other hand up. Kukuh, even though he probably didn't understand what Batu had said, handed the statue over to the old king. Ilu stood up, wiping the last tears from her eyes.

"I-I still c-can't believe it," she stammered. "Do you know for certain that my little boy is the one?"

"Yes, I know for certain," king Batu assured. "Your son seemed to be the only one to sense the energy this relic projects. You see, this is an ancient statuette of Avatar Tenang, one of your son's past lives," he explained. "Now may I know your son's name?"

"His name is Kukuh," Sui answered.

"That's a rather unusual name, doesn't it mean 'stubborn'?" the king asked, upon which Sui nodded. "Avatar Kukuh, hmm, yes… that sounds like an Avatar who's destined for greatness."

"Why? Why does it have to be him?" Ilu complained, on the verge of bursting into cries again.

"Why does a mother carry her baby?" the king asked in response. Ilu pondered on those words, which calmed her down a bit. The king's words made her think rationally about the situation.

"It's just how it's supposed to be, I can't change it…" she finally answered.

"Oh… right!" the king responded somewhat surprised by Ilu's answer. "Yes, that too, but I was going to say that a baby can't carry his mother." The king chuckled, but once again no one saw the humor in what he said, leading to another awkward silence. "Okay, right…" he continued, "what I wanted to say is that the two of you now have an incredible responsibility. It is your duty to raise the Avatar, the world's guardian for the coming decades. I want to point out to you that you must do everything you can do to support him, when the time comes of his sixteenth birthday his identity will be revealed to him. Before that, you must never tell him about him being the Avatar. If you do tell him before his sixteenth birthday, he won't have the normal childhood he needs to become a truly balanced person. Do you understand?"

Sui and Ilu nodded in response. "We do," they said in unison.

"This sounds a lot like a wedding," the king chuckled. "One final thing," he added, this time sounding as grave as a few moments before. "Once the moment comes of his sixteenth birthday, I will send an escort to bring him to Omashu, where he will finish his earth bending training. From that moment, he will travel the world, learning to master all the elements and maintaining balance for the rest of his life." He smiled at the parents of the Avatar, who looked very tired. "Why don't I show you to your room. The rest of this day you can rest here, tomorrow, you will be brought back to your village with my personal galley. May I ask where the three of you are from?"

"Hia-Pao," Sui answered, quickly adding: "your majesty."

"The small village along the Xiao Shan? How quaint. In that case you can be dropped off about a mile south to your village. It would be best not to drop you off at the village itself, since that would arouse suspicion, wouldn't it? Oh, why am I still bothering you with my blabbering, here, I'll show you to your room."

"Father?" a man of nearly fifty walked into the testing chamber.

"Hold on, I will see you soon," the king responded, waving his son away. He spread his arms behind Sui and Ilu's backs and led them, through a few short halls, to their chamber. It was a large round chamber with a canopy bed in the middle and a bath carved out in the stone wall. The ground was covered in green colored carpets, the room lit by fluorescent crystals, like everywhere else in the palace. "Here you go, rest, tomorrow you'll have to go on your journey back home."

* * *

King Batu walked into the throne room, where his son was waiting for him.

"Did you find him?"

"No father, whoever he was, he surely knew what he was doing. Either he was an earth bender himself, or he used our guards to move around through the palace," the prince answered. He couldn't help admiring the thief's intelligence, he'd almost be willing to let him go –almost, but not quite. Once his father had heard of the escape and murder, he'd ordered him to scour the palace and find the escapee. He had failed, sadly, he didn't like failure and he didn't expect it, not from his servant and especially not from himself . The fact that he had failed angered him, he had to confess to his father that he was incapable of catching a lowlife thief. He, the pride of Omashu, the strong son of the greatest king in the city's history, was outmatched by a criminal from the streets.

"Don't blame yourself Su'at, you had little to work with, besides, the thief was probably long gone at the moment I gave you the order to find him."

"You forgive me for failing you, but still you look troubled. Why?" the prince asked his nearly century-old father.

"I think it's just too coincidental, my son," he answered. "It's too coincidental for this to happen on the same day we find the Avatar."

"What would a lowly criminal know of the Avatar father? You are not making sense at the moment, you should rest," Su'at advised, concerned for his father's wellbeing. His father didn't seem to have heard him, mumbling some incoherent words as he fiddled with the beads in front of his eyes.

"Su'at, son, order captain Bo to take a small team of his most trusted comrades with him and tell him that he has to set up camp about half a day to the east of Hia-Pao, a village south of Gaoling," the king spoke after a good minute of silence. "And post four guards near the guest room," he added, walking out of the throne room, leaving his son behind. "There are mysterious things going on here and I don't like it," Batu mumbled. "_Perhaps I should message the Earth King about this," _he thought, waving the idea away immediately_._ _"What would that pompous snob be able to do from his grand palace in the great capital of the Earth Kingdom? He could hear him say it already: 'My, my Batu, are you failing to keep order in your own city? I wonder how you were able to rule the southern provinces for so long without rebellions breaking out.' Ugh, long live the Earth King, blah, blah. Well, where the Earth King sometimes needed his agents to keep order, Batu had done it through decisive actions taken and executed by himself, as a king should do."_ He enjoyed bashing the Earth King in his thoughts, since doing it in the open could mean serious repercussions, even for a man with Batu's position. Even though Omashu enjoyed extensive autonomy, the city and its bordering regions were still a vassal to the ruler of Ba Sing Se and so, its king was a mere servant to the Earth King. Batu opened the walls to his bedroom, where he had a group of guards stationed at all times. King Batu was loved by his people, but as with all people in a position of power, Batu had enemies as well. He relieved himself from his robes and hat and stepped into the bathtub that his manservant had readied for him. He needed some relaxation, after such a busy day full of many surprises, whether they be good or bad.

* * *

That night, for the first time after they had left Gaoling, Ilu slept without any nightmares. She did dream though, but not about anything that scared her.

"_Don't be scared mom, I'll be alright."_

"_But…"_

"_I will be alright mom, I'm twenty years old, I can take care of myself."_

She woke up, at peace, she looked around and saw Sui sitting on a chair next to a small table. He was eating from a dark greenish plate, full of all kinds of fruit. He smiled, seeing his wife was awake. He pointed at Kukuh, who was running through the room. He sometimes stopped, looking at his father, who would then jump up from his chair. Accompanied by high-pitched screams of pleasure, Kukuh would start running again, thinking his father was chasing him down the room.

"Ilu, come, eat, we need to get ready," he said enthusiastically. "We're going to travel back to Hia-Pao in style," he continued, "on the king's personal galley, who would believe that, huh?" he asked, making big gestures with his arms. The last time Ilu had seen him that enthusiastic was at their wedding day, when he finally saw her in her mother's dress. It wasn't much, both the dress and the ceremony, but it was enough for her and her husband.

"_Who needs big ceremonies and expensive dresses if everything is about love," _she mused. Of course, at some times she envied the richer people in Hia-Pao, but if she looked at how Chon was compared to Sui, she would choose a poor life with Sui over a wealthy life with Chon each time. She sat down at the table, enjoying the taste of papaya and grapes. In Hia-Pao, breakfast would mean dry bread with some water and sometimes some leftovers from the day before.

"For the coming weeks, we'll be eating like this," Sui said. "I now understand why Peng wanted his daughter to be the Avatar so much."

"I wonder how he is doing," Ilu said, "he didn't take it particularly well yesterday."

"I doubt we'll ever know, we won't have time to find them, or anyone else we've met on the way to Omashu, the king insists we return to Hia-Pao as soon as possible."

"Probably because of safety measures," Ilu reasoned. "I mean, Hia-Pao would be a safer environment for Kukuh than Omashu. Some people here now know that Kukuh is the Avatar, but in Hia-Pao, no one knows."

A guard came in about half an hour later, asking Sui and Ilu to get their belongings and follow him. They were brought to the throne room, where king Batu was waiting for them with his son and a high ranking general named Ponnau.

"Sui, Ilu, this is general Ponnau. He and his personal guards will escort you to his base, where my galley will be waiting. From there, you will travel by boat for about two weeks, depending on the weather," he spoke, walking towards the parents and their child. He looked Ilu in the eyes, saying: "Enjoy the coming fifteen years, because after that you will have to let him go." Ilu nodded, after which the king turned his attention to Sui. "Protect him from danger, but don't be overprotective. Let him be free, but don't let him become a dissolute person. Let him figure out his own problems, but help him if he asks for help, or when he truly needs it, but is afraid of asking." He put his hands on their shoulders, squeezing softly. "You bear a heavy burden, but I believe the two of you are up to the task. I hope to see the day that little Kukuh rises to greatness, although I'll probably never will. I do know that he has the potential of becoming a great Avatar, who will lead the world through a long lasting peace. This is where we say farewell, Sui, Ilu, I think this is the last time we will meet. Take my advice to heart, and go, live in peace, until the end of your days come."

* * *

With that, Ponnau signaled his guards to leave with him, asking Sui and Ilu to follow. The guards helped Ilu onto an ostrich horse, while Sui mounted the one he borrowed in Hia-Pao. Under the protection of a small host of soldiers, led by general Ponnau, they sped through the empty streets of Omashu. The sun was rising, flooding the streets in a red glow. They reached the gates, which slowly opened, no one but a shopkeeper who stuck his head outside his window had seen them leave. No one but Dung, who had woken up to the sound of the opening gates. Curious as he was, he looked outside, where he saw a former customer leave with a military escort. The link was easy to make, the Avatar had been found.

"Bye profits," he said to himself with a hint of sadness in his voice. He repeated his morning ritual and when finished, as always, a knock sounded on his door. It was a second time in a row that he could scare his young assistant, as some sort of new ritual to begin his morning. Everything went like it did the morning before, with the exception of a thief trying to steal his wears. He had hear a rumor about that thief, how he had escaped from prison and killed one of the king's guards. Dung wondered how such things could happen in the safest city of his, small, world.

"Good morning shopkeeper," a bald muscular man said warmly. His face looked somewhat familiar, but Dung couldn't recall where he had seen the man before. He didn't remember any olive skinned men showing up at his store for the last few weeks, they all went to Gyo's store ever since Dung had made a nasty remark about some guy's appearance.

"_That scar looks so familiar… Think Dung, where have you seen it before."_ He tried to recall where he had seen the scar, but somehow his memory failed him that day.

"Is something wrong?" the man asked, suspicion sounding through his every word. Dung didn't notice the man was readying himself to sprint away.

"No," Dung answered aloof, still trying to remember. "You have a familiar face, do you have any brothers?"

The man sighed, Dung didn't understand why, but he couldn't think about it as the man answered: "As a matter of fact, I do. My brother went for groceries here about two weeks ago."

"Of course, that must be it!" the shopkeeper exclaimed. "I nearly thought I was becoming forgetful." Dung laughed heartily and the man laughed with him, making jokes about old age, even though Dung was only thirty-five. Dung didn't mind, he sometimes asked for it and often would Seng tease him with such jokes. "Oh my, oh my, I think I'm so forgetful today, because I saw the strangest thing this morning," Dung said, recovering from his laughing burst.

"How so?" the man asked interested in what the shopkeeper was about to say. Dung moved closer to the man, as if he was to share the greatest secret of his life, which he in fact was going to do.

"This morning," he whispered, looking around to see if no one else was listening to what he was saying. "This morning I heard some strange noises coming from the streets. The sun hadn't even risen, so I was quite curious about what was going on. Normally, I'm one of the earliest people to wake up, so you understand, I was completely overwhelmed when I saw about twelve riders leaving the city through the gates over there," he pointed at the opened gates. "So I wondered why there were twelve riders leaving the city, and mostly, why they were on the streets so early in the morning. Then I remembered that yesterday, some people said that the Avatar had been found."

"I heard those rumors as well," the man said, interrupting Dung's lengthy story, "I heard the king declared it himself."

"Yes, which on its own is quite peculiar. How what a man know who the Avatar is, without seeing him bending the four elements, or at least two elements."

"Well…" the man wanted to explain to Dung how an Avatar could be found, but he decided it would be better to stay silent and hear the shopkeeper out. "Never mind, you were saying?"

"Oh, yes, as I was saying, that is quite peculiar. Nonetheless, the riders were escorting a man, a woman and a baby outside, so it could possibly be true. Or…" Dung reasoned, "the king thinks he has found the Avatar, while in the meantime he is mistaken, and has sent them away with an escort, thinking it's the Avatar, when the true Avatar is still to be found. On the other hand, the child could very well be the Avatar, which would mean I'm just rambling on about something that doesn't even make… wait, what was I saying again?"

The man started to lose his patience, but kept calm and suggestively answered: "You were going to tell me about where the riders were headed?"

"Well, I thought I had made that clear already…" Dung responded slowly, before repeating what he said earlier: "They went through the gates." In response, the man slapped himself in the face. _"What a strange fellow, hitting himself for no reason,"_ Dung thought. "Anyhow, what I thought was really strange, is that I talked to the woman I saw only a day ago."

"You did?!"

"Yes, I mean, I think I did. Funny how things can go, eh?"

"Yes, funny indeed."

"I believe she was very rude to me, insisting that I knew some friend of hers. She was clearly mistaken, I said I only knew a man named Kong, who lives in Hia-Pao, but she insisted I knew a fellow named Chon, also from that village."

"Hia-Pao… how very interesting," the man smirked.

"What?"

"I was asking if she was from Hia-Pao as well," the man corrected himself.

"Yes, she made that very clear," Dung responded, nodding confidently. "She said she was from Hia-Pao, south of Gaoling, upon which I responded that I had met someone from Hia-Pao earlier. She claimed it had to be her friend Chon, but I insisted I only knew a man named Kong and…" Dung fell silent. "I think I'm repeating myself, am I not?"

"Yes, you are, but I don't mind, I'm not in a hurry," the man reassured, smirking again.

"_That guy is starting to creep me out, I hope he leaves soon."_

"Well, I should be going now."

"_Thank the spirits!"_

"It was a pleasure to talk to you," Dung smiled insincerely.

"_Now shoo!"_

The man walked off, back into the city. Dung saw him one last time, moments before the gates closed; he left the city. Dung never saw him again and forgot about him. Manak, on the other hand, did not forget what the shopkeeper had told him. The fool had been a great help, two times in two days, that's better than Pen did and Pen even knew who he was, this man didn't. Now it was just a boat-trip to the South Pole. Manak felt a great sense of accomplishment, after more than a year of travelling between Omashu, Taku and Ba Sing Se, he had finally learned about the whereabouts of the new Avatar. Hia-Pao, that's where the Avatar would be for the coming ten to fifteen years. Now he could return to the South Pole, to chief Adok, and claim his place in the history books as the key-figure to the Avatar's downfall and the dominion of the water tribes.

* * *

And welcomed as a hero he was. He was led before Adok in the chief's palace, where he was promoted to captain of the first southern fleet. That was such an honor, to be promoted from a mere soldier to captain and that by the words of the chief of the Southern Water Tribe, it was unbelievable. It was nice to be back with his family as well, although he hadn't really missed them. He was too busy with his mission to ever think about his wife and daughter, but now that he was back, he was still happy to see them. His little girl didn't really understand what had happened, she was too young for that. She was born a few days before chief Adok and the others killed Avatar Kalak, so he had decided to name her Kala, to remember one of the most important moments in water tribe history. It also didn't hurt to name your child after a powerful Avatar, many people did it. For the upcoming days, Manak had to attend many ceremonies, together with the chief. Adok grew to like him over the passing days, which only bolstered Manak's ego. Former friends began to dislike him, saying he was becoming a prideful narcissist. Manak couldn't care less, he would trade his former friends in for his new friends any day. Who got to say that his best friend was the chief of the Southern Water Tribe? No one but Manak and perhaps some other high ranking military officials. Adok was very pleased with the generals he had appointed a few years ago, Manak knew, as they were making fast progress to catch up on their schedule, after they had fallen behind when Ynook withdrew his support to the cause. Adok had infected Manak with hatred for the chief of all the tribes, the leader of the confederation. Growing up in the Western Water Tribe, Manak had learned to respect all chiefs with the same amount of respect. Now, Adok was urging him to let go of those teachings and embrace the idea of the water tribes led to greatness by Adok himself, with Manak playing a big part. Manak liked every word of it, devouring them like a hungry polar dog. It tasted so good, so very sweet, he only wanted to hear more. Adok fed him with pleasure, ever stirring within his deepest feelings of hatred and pride, turning it to Adok's advantage; it made Manak more eager to do as Adok pleased. Eventually, Manak was more around Adok than he was at home to spend time with his family. It went so far that sometimes he wouldn't come home at night, staying over at Adok's palace, sleeping in the servant's quarters. Manak's wife became more and more depressed, she already had some emotional issues before the two married, up until the moment she was so unstable that she ran out of the city and plunged herself into the ocean, drowning in the cold, wild waters. It made Manak realize that he'd been paying too little attention to his family, but above all, it made him realize that his pride had cost him his wife and the first four years of his daughter's life. He swore on his wife's grave to never let his daughter alone again, taking her with him to every meeting he had to go to, taking off more time when he could. Adok respected Manak's choice, giving him time off from time to time. According to Adok, family was more important than preparing for the war, since Manak wasn't essential in the preparations. As long as Manak would be ready on the day of the invasion, he was allowed to spend as much time with his daughter as he wanted.

The chief didn't stop fueling the captain's hatred, however, and combined it with Manak's grief to enrage the man even more. The chief knew that if he would continue to do so, day after day, until the invasion, Manak would become a beast he could unleash on his foes, a monster to take down anyone who dared to oppose the water tribes.

One day, Adok took him to the dry docks to show him the progress they were making on the fleet. They looked like wooden fortresses, able to outmatch the fleets of the Earth Kingdom and probably that of the Fire Nation as well. The chief bragged a bit about its capabilities, before praising the captain for all what he had done for the water tribes.

"Captain, it will take a while, but thanks to your work, we will be victorious upon the moment we launch the invasion. Thanks to you we now know where we must turn our attention to. Once the war begins, the first blow will land at Hia-Pao and we will ride ourselves of the Avatar once more."


	4. Chapter 4: Pebbles in the Water

4. Pebbles in the Water

* * *

He was lying along the Xiao Shan, feet in the cold water, plucking the grass around him and throwing it around. He sniffed, smelling the scent of the fresh grass he'd just plucked. He had been looking to the sky for quite some time, thinking about what had happened earlier that day.

"_Now pupils, assume stance," miss Shaku commanded. "I want you three to destroy the walls I've made right over there," she pointed about ten yards to her right, "with only one piece of stone," she pointed at the three large boulders in front of her young students. Ling started off, stepping out with his left foot, assuming a sideways position, pounding his left hand and forearm against the boulder. The boulder thrust forward and crashed into the wall, which was blown to pieces on impact._

"_Very good Ling, you possess a lot of strength for someone of your age," miss Shaku complemented, patting the chief's son on his head. Sen was next up, but he took a different approach on the assignment than Ling had taken. He smashed the side of his hand repeatedly against the boulder, splitting it in multiple pieces and firing those pieces towards the wall. The wall crumbled bit by bit with each blow it was dealt, until nothing remained._

"_Resourceful Sen, you knew you wouldn't be able to fire the entire boulder, so you just cut it up in smaller fragments you could fire." She patted Sen on his shoulder, walking up to Kukuh. She stood still behind him, sighing audibly. "Now it's your turn Kukuh…"Kukuh assumed his stance, confidently pounding both his fists against the large boulder. The large piece of rock moved, rolling gently towards the wall, destroying the wall at the place it hit._

"_Well… at least you got to move it this time, instead of destroying the boulder like a week ago… but the wall hasn't been completely destroyed Kukuh, your attempt was too weak," she noted, glancing at the sides of the wall, which had survived the impact. She shook her head, behind Kukuh's back so he did not see, as she was concerned with Kukuh's slow progress. Ling was, unlike Kukuh, an earth bending prodigy, seeing as he was able to lift boulders greater than anyone else had achieved at his age. Sen was talented, more due to his intelligence than brute strength, while Kukuh was, well… trying his best._

"_Alright students, pay attention," she said, clapping in her hands to get the attention she wanted. "Ling, I want you to study the advanced earth bending move I taught you earlier this morning for the upcoming week. Sen, I want you to focus on training your strength, you will need to be able to bend larger objects in the future. Kukuh… just… practice, you are making progress."_

"_Hardly," Ling whispered to Sen, both of them sniggered._

Those two didn't like him, and he didn't like them, because their parents didn't like each other. His father told him that he had made a journey with his mother, the Ling's mother and Sen's parents and lost them along the way. Once they had reached their destination, his father and mother didn't wait for the others, but went home again. According to his father, the others had always been mean to them from that moment.

"_Well that's just not fair!"_

Earth bending training wasn't going well either, for which Ling and Sen bullied him, because they did a better job at it than he did. They would laugh at him and he would run away, along the river, past Sali's home. Sali was never mean to him, she knew what it was like to be bullied. She was bullied for not being from Hia-Pao, Sen said that Sali's parents came from the Unagi-peninsula, wherever that might be; at least it sounded far.

"Hey, look!" he heard a familiar person shout from the other side of the river. "It's our good friend the Pebble Bender!" Sen laughed at him, sticking out his tongue. "Be careful Ling, otherwise he'll get mad overwhelm us with his might!"

"Oh no," Ling yelled dramatically, shaking his legs, "we don't stand a chance!"

"Jerks!" he yelled, picking up a smooth rock from the river and throwing it at the water. The pebble bounced off on the water surface and reached the other side, where it bounced up against Sen's knee. It seemed to hurt Sen, who grabbed his knee, hopping around on one leg. Sen lost his balance, bumping into Ling, making both of them fall into the cold river. He couldn't help but smirk at the two bullies.

"You'll pay for this!" Ling shouted at him, crawling out of the water. "Just wait till I get to the other side!"

"Yeah!" Sen yelled while being helped out of the river by Ling.

"_Time to go!"_ he, Kukuh, quickly thought. As Sen and Ling ran towards the village, he ran away from it, following the river. After five minutes of continuous running, he was getting tired and decided to stay where he was. He sat down, sighing loudly and thinking about how he was going to explain everything to his parents. They knew that Sen and Ling didn't like him, but they didn't know that they were picking on him.

"_They mustn't know, otherwise they'll never allow me to play outside again."_

He heard some noise coming from the right.

"_It can't be them, can it?" _he thought, a bit scared from the threats made by his two bullies. He could take them on, even though he wasn't as good as them at lifting and moving rocks, he was great at defending himself from other people's attacks. He could take a beating, which, according to lady Fa, was also a part of the earth bending art.

"_Oh little Kukuh," she said, "don't you know that earth bending isn't just about who can throw the biggest rocks, it's also about being able to stand your ground."_

Miss Shaku said that Sen was resourceful, maybe it was time for him to be resourceful too. He hid in the tall grass near the open spot he'd just been at, waiting for Ling and Sen to appear. They didn't show up though, someone else did. It was Sali, the immigrant's daughter, who was a few months younger than he was and a good friend. He wanted to step out of the grass to say hello, but for some reason he didn't. Sali looked around, to see if someone saw her; after a little while, she deemed it safe enough and faced the water. She squatted and waved her hands around and, to Kukuh's surprise, she started water bending. He watched her graceful movements, moving the water around her body, back into the river. She started doing the routine again, repeating every movement she'd done before.

"_Wow…"_

Kukuh stepped out of the tall grass and walked towards the water bending girl, who hadn't seen him as of yet.

"You're really good at it," he complimented her. She yelped, turning around quickly, slapping him in the face with a water whip. She recognized him soon after that, helping him up –he had fallen as a result of the water whip– and apologizing to him.

"I'm so sorry," she said, clearly in shock. "You weren't supposed to see that…"

"Why not?" he asked cheerfully, rubbing the sore spot on his cheek.

"Father told me no one should ever find out I'm a water bender," she answered, shyly turning away from him.

"Why?" he asked, stopping his rubbing motion. "You don't know, why," he stated after a long silence. She nodded in response, but still urged him not to tell anyone.

"If other people find out, father will get really mad at me," she said, nearly crying. He stared at her, even though her secret was really cool, he had to keep it a secret. It would be mean to tell everyone about it and she'd never been mean to him.

"I'll keep it a secret," he promised. "Now show me some other moves!" She smiled at him, thankful and relieved, and continued practicing her moves. He looked at her with amazement, trying to copy her moves.

"What are you doing?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow at him. "You're doing it wrong," she said, smiling shyly.

"Show me how I should do it," he responded, smiling back. She blushed a little, but he didn't notice. She moved closer to him until she stood behind, she took his wrist and guided him through each motion. After a few times, he could do it all by himself. He concentrated on every move, with his tongue sticking out of his mouth a little.

"That's really good," Sali complimented. "You're a natural talent, but why are you doing this, are you a water bender as well?" she jokingly asked.

"Hah, no," he chuckled, "I was just curious how it would feel like." He let himself fall down on his back, resting in the soft grass.

"How does it feel?" Sali asked, sitting down near him.

"It feels surprisingly relaxing," he replied, starting to pluck the grass around him. Sali did the same, sprinkling the small green blades over his face. "Like you're completely one with the river." Sali nodded, telling about her experiences with water bending, about the full moon and the different styles. Her father had been teaching her the Southern Style, consisting of some fluid movements with a focus on offensive moves. The Northern Style, she said, was more focused on defense.

"So when does your father train you?" he asked, tilting his head up to scratch the back of his head. "Your father always seems busy with selling fish and all." He looked at her, waiting for an answer.

"Every week, he takes me with him on a fishing trip," she explained, "at night, he teaches me bending, during the day, we use our bending to catch fish."

"Oh," he said, running his fingers through his dark brown hair. "It must be hard to never be able to bend in public."

"I got used to it," she responded, shrugging as if she didn't care. She observed him closely as he was lying there, his bronze skin reflecting some of the sunlight, his half long hair –for as far as he wasn't lying on it- floating on the winds current. He looked at her with his small eyes, colored in a light shade of green.

"What's wrong?" he asked after he caught her staring.

"You've got something on your cheek," she lied, "here, let me…" she reached for his cheek, pretending to wipe something away. She blushed again, luckily he didn't notice, gently stroking his cheek.

"What was it?" he asked.

"I think it was a drop of mud," she said, looking away.

She finally noticed it was getting late, so she jumped up. "I need to go," she said hastily, "I need to be in time for dinner." With that she ran away, shouting goodbye.

"Bye," Kukuh shouted back, staying behind to think a little while longer. After a few minutes, he stood up as well and started walking back to the village. Passing by Sali's house, he could hear some laughs coming from the inside. Sali had a big family, she had two younger sisters and three younger brothers –he wondered if they could bend as well. When he got back home, he was met by his parents, who were angry with him being late and for hurting Sen. Sen's father, Chon, spoken to Sui about Kukuh's behavior, on the aspect of throwing stones at Sen.

"You need to learn you can't just hurt anyone you don't like!" father yelled; if only he knew. "You will be under house arrest for the coming week young man, now go to your room!" he yelled. Kukuh didn't get his dinner, as an extra form of punishment, keeping him awake for some time during the night, but eventually, the young Avatar fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

The pale moonlight reflected in the waves of the South Sea, stars glimmered in the sea of darkness above the head of Tin-Sheng. Noticing the full moon, he turned to his fellow guard to point out how beautiful it looks.

"Come one Tin, each time you see the moon you say the same thing, I know it by now," Fa Neng complained. She had been on guard duty with Tin-Sheng for the past few days. Patrolling the South Sea was often a dull practice, even with the presence of Unagi and sea serpents in the deep waters. "Man I can't wait to get some shore leave when we dock at the peninsula, I've been on this ship for too long."

"At least you had good company," Tin-Sheng commented.

"No I haven't," she sneered at her colleague. "I've been standing guard for days with an idiot who says the same thing over and over again."

"Thank you," Tin-Sheng responded sarcastically. They were sailing under the command of captain Gun, who was at the helm of the sizable ship. Under the previous Earth King, who ruled over a hundred years ago, the Earth Kingdom navy had been expanded extensively. It now outnumbered the Fire Navy and nearly matched the size of the Water Tribe Fleet. The citizens of the Earth Kingdom, however, were not that great of a sailors as the people from the Fire Nation and the tribes, but they got around. Twelve years ago, the Earth King gave the order to intensify patrols on the South Sea for reasons unknown to anyone on the ship. The only thing they were told was to do their best not to let anything hostile pass through these waters.

"_What a joke, as if…"_ Fa Neng thought.

"Men!" the captain barked from the helm; his voice was so loud everyone on the entire ship could hear it. "It seems we're headin' into rougher wat'rs, hold on tight if y'are on guard duty. I'd hate to miss some of yer pretty faces." The ship jerked back and forth on the wild tide, crashing into one wave after another. The splashing water made it hard to see far ahead and the growing fog didn't help either.

"Captain!" a soldier yelled from his post. "I can't see anything!"

"Stop whinin' and do yer job!" the captain yelled back. Laughing loudly as the ship crashed into another wave. The soldier was hit by a splash of seawater, soaking him completely.

"Ugh," he spat out the salt seawater, clinging onto the railing. What happened next went so fast that the poor man never even realized it. A grappling hook pierced his arm to the railing, multiple men jumped on the deck, one of them slit the soldiers throat immediately. More men climbed on deck, leaving the bleeding corps hanging from the railing, pinned by the grappling hook. The cloaked men sneaked along the lower deck, taking out every guard before they realized what was going on. The blood was washed way with each wave the ship crashed into.

The men reached a ladder, which they climbed one by one; that is when they got spotted.

"We're under attack!" Tin-Sheng yelled, reaching for his pole arm. He stormed towards the invasive gang, taking down one of them. It brought him out of balance and in response to the ship ramming another wave, he tripped and fell overboard.

"To arms ye lazy rats!" the captain yelled. "We're bein' attacked!" In response, Fa Neng was joined by three more guards, with coming their way. The invaders drew their swords, which seemed to be of Souther Water Tribe origin and lunged at Fa Neng and her fellow guards. Two of them were disposed of easily, but Fa Neng and her colleagues were decapitated by the remaining men in immediate response to the loss of their comrades. More men came on deck, who reached the upper deck without much resistance. A group of twenty soldiers was awaiting them, with the captain still at the helm.

"Ya won't take this ship from me!" he yelled across the deck. "Attack 'm men!"

The soldiers charged, but were repelled by one man alone, who used his bending to create a large water whip to smash the soldiers back.

"Kill them all!" the man yelled, lunging towards the captain. The captain jumped away from the helm, swinging to the lower deck using the railing. He ran along the lower deck, seeing the many bodies of his crew and entered one of the ship's cabins. There he found a few doves, whom were used for communication with king Batu of Omashu. He scribbled a small note, within the little time he had, and attached it to the bird's paw. The door was kicked open, and the water bender stood in the door opening, Gun noticed a small scar on the man's jaw, which increased in size with every smirk the man made. He assumed his stance, the moment Gun was waiting for, he dove to the floor, sliding between the opened legs of the water bender, releasing the bird into the air. A second later, his stomach was impaled by a large piece of ice.

"I don't want your ship," the man explained, sitting down next to the mortally wounded captain. "In fact, I don't want your ship to exist. Without ships in the South Sea, we can easily land on your lands… understand?"

"Go to…" Gun couldn't finish his sentence, Manak planted a knife in his throat.

"Hush captain, you only make the pain worse if you try to talk," Manak sniggered. Gun responded with some gurgling sounds, before he succumbed to his wounds. Manak stood up and ordered his men to slaughter all of the remaining crewmembers, even though they had surrendered themselves; afterwards, he ordered his men to leave the ship. Manak impaled the wooden vessel with a few ice spikes, leaving large holes in the ship's hull. As he and his crew sailed off, having lost three of their own, they watched the ships sink.

"Gentlemen," Manak spoke to his crew, "the war has begun!"

* * *

"Hey," Sali greeted, smiling shyly like she had done a week earlier. "I haven't seen you in a while." She stopped her water bending practice.

"Yeah… my parents gave me house arrest for being too late," Kukuh replied, plumping down on the soft grass, leaning back against a tree stem.

"Wow, the entire week?" she asked, sitting down next to him. He nodded, his hair dancing wildly on the nodding motion of his head. "I told my father that you know about, well, you know…"

"How did he react?"

"Well, he wasn't happy, but he couldn't blame me for being caught," she said.

"That's not entirely true," Kukuh joked, "if you'd only been more careful…" He dove into the tall grass next to the tree, dodging the rock Sali threw at him.

"Coward," she teased, jumping after him. She missed, falling to the ground while Kukuh started running.

"Catch me if you can," he shouted, wanting Sali to follow him. She didn't follow him, but instead bent a stream of water towards the running boy, freezing the end of the stream to Kukuh's foot to pull him towards the water. She pulled a bit too hard and Kukuh ended up cold and wet in the river. She laughed at him, not expecting him to push her into the river through the means of an earthen pillar. "Haha, very funny, but now I have the advantage," she said, creating three water whips, ready to be used. She struck at Kukuh, who easily dodged by diving under water. He swam to the riverside, climbing onto the riverbank. He rolled himself to safety, dodging a few more water whips. Sali stayed in the water, since it gave her a lot to work with, while Kukuh could start attacking her from his earthy haven. A barrage of small rocks followed, Sali dodged them with ease. He had the advantage now, since he could block Sali's attacks with earthen walls, while she could only dodge his attacks. He shields of water and ice were not strong enough to withstand the impact with the small sized rocks, because Sali had mostly trained on offensive moves. Kukuh could fire rocks from his fortress –a wall she couldn't breach– without having to move, while she had to move constantly to dodge Kukuh's attacks. She had to get back ashore so she could outmaneuver her adversary. She brought herself back on the riverbank through the means of a wave, which she sent for Kukuh to distract him. Kukuh simply raised the ground beneath his feet till the wave had passed on. Before he could launch another attack on Sali, he found out that she had flanked him. He was hit in his side by a water hose and he fell to the ground.

"Oh yeah! I win!" Sali yelled triumphantly, smirking at Kukuh.

"Barely…" Kukuh added, feeling robbed of his pride. "But," he added, "I gave you a hard time."

"Yeah, you're not as bad as Sen and Ling always say," she responded, "but it's not like you really stood a chance against me."

"There will be a time I'll beat you at this," Kukuh promised, "just you wait and see."

They walked to the village, passing Sali's house. Her mother was sitting outside, watching her husband work with his latest catch. Kukuh couldn't help but notice how absent Sali's mother looked, seemingly staring in no general direction.

"What's wrong with your mother?" he asked slightly blunt. Sali looked at her mother and shrugged indifferently.

"She's always been like that for all I know, but according to father, she used to be different when they still lived at the South Pole."

"Wait, you're not from the Unagi-peninsula?" Kukuh asked, genuinely surprised.

"Of course not you stupid, I'm a water bender, they don't live at the peninsula… My parents said they were from the peninsula to be able to stay in the Earth Kingdom. If they'd said they were from the South Pole, they might had been sent away." They continued their way, over the bridge into the larger part of the village, past Kukuh's home towards lady Fa's infirmary; she was picking some herbs in her herbal garden.

"Good morning lady Fa," they greeted in unison.

"Oh, good morning dear Kukuh, dear Sali," she returned the greeting, with some sort of tremble sounding through her voice. "Why don't you two go inside, I'll be right there."

Lady Fa's house was cozy to say the least, full of stuffed animals, souvenirs from throughout the entire Earth Kingdom, different sorts of plants and the most comfortable pieces of furniture of the entire village. The house was filled with a smell of herbs and incense, candles burned at every corner, shedding a dim light over the floor covered in all kinds of green carpets. Some of them were made of thick, coarse furs, others of smooth and soft silk. The wall was clad with green tapestries, wooden carvings and masks, all of them collected by lady Fa, lady Ma and her ancestors. Lady Ma entered the living room through a door that led to the garden, she was carrying a small basket filled with the herbs she needed.

"I shall ready your mother's potion now that you're here," she said, looking at Sali. "I take that's why the two of you came by?"

"Amongst other things lady Ma," Sali replied. "Kukuh," she bumped her elbow against Kukuh's arm, "wants to know what happened to my mother before she got here, but I don't know what happened." Lady Ma stopped with what she was doing, sharply looking at Sali.

"I think Kukuh isn't the only one who'd like to know, am I right?" she asked.

"Uh… well…" Sali stammered, while lady Ma didn't stop looking at her like she was lying. "Okay, okay… I want to know it as well."

"Oh, children…" Ma sighed, "all I know is that your parents are from the Southern Water Tribe. When they came here, your mother already was a damaged woman." She walked from behind her counter to the couch upon which Sali and Kukuh sat. She squatted down before Sali, reaching for a stool to sit on. She took Sali by her hands, looked in her bright blue eyes.

"Sali, if you want to know what happened to your mother, you should ask your father. If he won't answer you, you should ask your mother, but if none of them want you to know, you should put it to rest. If they won't tell you, it means they think you're not ready to hear what happened. They will tell you once you're old enough." Sali nodded, a bit disappointed, she'd hoped lady Ma would be able to tell her more than she already knew.

"But… if you knew that Sali's parents were from the South Pole…" Kukuh was interrupted by lady Ma, who finished the question Kukuh was about to ask.

"Why didn't I say so to the chief? Well, that is quite simple Kukuh, my mother told me everyone should be welcome in Hia-Pao and if the chief would have known about Sali's parents background, he would have sent them away. Seeing the condition her mother was in, I kept their secret after they told me their secret." Lady Ma looked at the two teenagers in front of her, Kukuh thirteen years old, Sali a year younger. To lighten the mood, she proposed to play a game of Pai Sho. Kukuh and Sali played together against lady Ma, who, even though she was far better at the game than the two teenagers, let the two win the game. After the game, she gave Sali here mother's potion and bade them a good night's rest.

Kukuh walked Sali home after which he went home too. His father and mother were waiting for him, as it was time for dinner. It wasn't that much, a bowl of soup and some cooked veggies, but it was enough to sate the hunger for the oncoming night. His father talked to his mother about some boring village things like the harvest and trade with Gaoling. He knew that Gaoling was a town somewhere to the north, but his parents seem to know it pretty well. According to his mother, they had travelled through Gaoling once, when he was very little. She explained it was in Gaoling that they lost sight of Chon, Li and Pingping, for which they still were blamed by the aforementioned, mostly by Chon. After dinner, Kukuh was sent to bed, he hugged both his father and mother and walked to a door near the cooking place, towards his bedroom. Sui had built a separate bedroom for his son, he and his wife slept in the living room, something which only a few children in the village had, namely Sen and Ling. Kukuh didn´t want to think about those two, he rather dreamed about heroes from faraway lands, saving people who are in need of help, keeping the world safe. He fell asleep, unaware to the slaughter taking place that very night, on the nearest sea to Hia-Pao.

* * *

With great effort, the old king stepped out of bed, grabbing his cane to support his steps. He had to get used to the wooden stick, he couldn't walk without it anymore. He felt weak, weaker than ever before, old and withered.

"_One hundred and eleven years old…" _he thought, waddling towards the dressing room, where servants would clean him up and dress him in his royal garments.

"_Disgraceful, a king needing to be dressed by his servants…"_

His thoughts went to the matter at hand, general Ponnau had requested his presence in the military council, which on its own was a curious thing to occur, but what was more, it was taking place in the middle of the night.

"_That can only mean a lot of trouble,"_ Batu reasoned, being washed by one of his many manservants. He was very aware of his failing body, he was spending his days in bed most of the time. At very special occasions, the king would sometimes receive his guests in the throne room, but it happened more often that he was unable to leave his room, receiving his guests there. One of his other servants took over after the king was washed up and well dressed, leading him through a few sets of halls.

"General Ponnau urged to hurry, your majesty," the servant said, supporting the king so he could walk faster.

"Have you heard them say anything at all, Thuu?" the king asked, wondering what all the fuss was about.

"I don't know, your majesty, but general Ponnau seemed stressed."

"Oh my, that can't be good, general Ponnau always keeps his cool," the king responded, anxiety was growing within him, starting to fear the worst. To think that what he had expected twelve years ago was coming true, sent shivers down his spine. They were reaching the far end of the palace, where war meetings used to take place. It had been used on only a few occasions in the last few hundred years, when the crisis in the Fire Nation was escalating beyond the expectations of Omashu's king at that time.

King Batu could hear a loud argument going on in the chamber from within the hall, general Ponnau could be heard shouting loudly at someone who's voice Batu did not recognize. Thoo was waiting at the opening in the wall, ready to announce the king's arrival. The argument between Ponnau and the other general fell silent, watching the king walk towards his seat, still being supported by Thuu. Thuu helped him in his seat, in response the king thanked him, sending him off. Thoo stayed in the room, keeping a close eye on the old king so he'd be close if the king were in need of help.

"Now…" the king started off asking, "why in the name of all my ancestors and the spirits have I been summoned to this meeting in the middle of the night?" He observed the four men in front of him, all of them were generals, one of them being Ponnau, the highest ranking of the four. It was Ponnau who took the liberty to answer the king's question, saying:

"Your majesty, a few hours ago, we received word from one of our bases along the coast of the South Sea." The King narrowed his eyes, bowing forward with his elbows resting on the table in front of him. A detailed map of the Earth Kingdom was carved into the stone table, marking everything that had some sort of strategic importance to the Earth King, or the kingdom's forces. "One of our ships was attacked by a band of Southern Water Tribe warriors, slaughtering everyone on the ship. We believe a lone survivor was able to send the message by dove, so we would know." The king pushed himself against the back of his small throne, covering his face with both of his wrinkled, frail hands.

"S-send message to the Earth King," he stammered. That which he had feared was coming true, a war had been declared. He had never expected the Southern Water Tribe to be involved in it though, he'd expected it from the Central Water Tribe, or the Western Water Tribe, but from Adok… no. "Inform him that we are at war with the Southern Water Tribe."

"My lord, I think one attack on one of our ships hardly qualifies as a declaration of war," a general protested.

"That is true," Ponnau agreed, "I think we should send a message to both chief Adok, to demand explanation for the actions of this band of warriors, and to chief Ynook, to inform him of this insurgency."

"But what if the other water tribes are with the south? This way we'll lose precious time, we need to act now!" a third general retorted.

"Enough!" king Batu yelled as loud as he could. "This is not just some insurgency, this was something that had been prepared for over thirteen years. I think it is too coincidental that Avatar Kalak died while visiting the Southern Water Tribe and that a Southern Water Tribe band of warriors attack a patrolling ship near the new Avatar's living place."

"Still, your majesty, an educated guess is still a guess. If you are wrong…"

"I'm not wrong!" the king shouted, his voice bellowed through the chamber. That such an old, weak king could still be so… intimidating was quite extraordinary. "Now do as I say and send that message to the Earth King and to Yong-Shi. Send another message to Ynook and Adok, demanding for explanation and finally…" the king sighed, exhausted by only a few minutes of attending the meeting, "send a message to captain Bo, whom I stationed near Hia-Pao twelve years ago. Command him to get the Avatar out of the south at once, bring him to Omashu. Whatever you do, the Avatar's survival is of paramount importance." The king signaled Thoo to help him out of his seat, considering the meeting over.

"My lord, where are you going?" Ponnau asked dumbfounded. "If this is going to be a war, we must plan our strategy."

"Ponnau, I know you find it hard to spend time without me and I know you'd rather want me at your side, but believe me when I say it's for the best that I go now. It would be a very bad time to die right now, wouldn't it?" the king asked sarcastically, leaving the general confounded. "I think the four of you are capable enough to devise a strategy to keep our lands safe from the impending threat of a water tribe invasion." The king clung onto Thoo's shoulder with one of his arms, while leaning on his cane with the other. Like that, he slowly left the meeting, shouting one last thing:

"Now get to work you goat gorillas, you've got a lot of work on your hands!"

* * *

"_Kukuh, I need to speak to you."_

"_It's of the utmost importance."_

"_Your life is in danger."_

"_Kukuh!"_

"Kukuh! Wake up!" Ilu called from the living room. "Breakfast is ready!" The scent of bread, cooked in milk entered Kukuh's nose. He opened his eyes, looking at the ceiling, wondering what he had heard in his short dream. He licked his lips, his stomach growled, the smell was enticing.

"I'm coming mom," he yelled from his little room. He undid himself from his sleepwear and got dressed. His father had left for the fields to help with harvesting the last crops, according to Sui, the harvest was enough to sustain the village for another year. He sat down near the fireplace, his mother handed him a small bowl with a piece of bread, soaked in milk.

"Tasty," he mumbled as some form of compliment towards his mother. She smiled at her son, cuddling him out of the blue. "Mom stop it, I'm spilling milk."

"You're growing up so fast," she said. Thinking back at the times she would pick him up, the little toddler he was, and hold him close to her heart, she pinked a tear away.

"Come on mom, it's not like I'm gone or something, I'm not even grown up yet," he responded somewhat impatiently.

"_I can't wait till I'm grown up. I'm going to build my own house, like father did. It will be bigger than Sen's house and as cozy as lady Fa's house. After that, I'll need to travel the world to collect masks like lady Fa…"_ realizing he'd have to leave Hia-Pao, he revised: _"or I can just ask lady Fa if I can have all of her stuff when she passes away. It's not like she has any family who would want to have it."_

Kukuh stared at the empty bowl in his hands, his thoughts drifted off.

"_Be careful Kukuh!"_

"_Run!"_

"…run!" his mother exclaimed, leaving her son stunned.

"What's wrong?" he yelped, standing up as fast as he could. His mother looked at him like he'd done something crazy.

"I said you should run, you're nearly late for you earth bending training," she explained, shooing him off. He ran out of the house, towards the mines next to which miss Shaku's training grounds were. Ilu stood in the doorway, looking at her son running off. She remembered Batu's words:

"…_you will have to let him go."_

* * *

Miss Shaku was an immigrant from Gaoling, acquainted to both chief Ling and Chon. She moved from Gaoling to Hia-Pao when Sen, Ling and Kukuh were old enough to start their earth bending training and she had trained them ever since. According to some of the young men of the village, miss Shaku was the prettiest woman around, though Kukuh begged to differ. It's true that miss Shaku was a beautiful woman, with her lustrous balck hair, done in a ponytail and her fluttering green eyes, she was able to woo any man she wanted. Once you got to know her, however, you'd find out she was an ugly person, behind a pretty face. She always pretended to be supportive, Kukuh knew, while in the meantime she laughed at you behind your back. Anyway, it would be a morning Kukuh would surprise her, not just once, but twice in a row.

"Well, let's see how much progress you all have made. I've been away for a week and the three of you had plenty of time to practice. Go ahead Ling," miss Shaku said, clapping her hands as usual. "Concentrate on your surroundings, feel the earth around you. I want you to bend that boulder into that wall." It sounded like the last time they had to show their progress to miss Shaku, but for Ling it was different. Instead of standing next to the boulder, like last time, he had to bend it from a distance. Ling looked confident, jumping into his stance. He stomped the ground with his front foot, he was standing sideways, and made a punching motion with his fist. It all looked so incredibly simple, the way Ling accomplished his assignment; the boulder crashed against the wall at great speed, breaking it entirely.

"Good job Ling," miss Shaku complimented, "continue at this rate and you'll be a master earth bender once you become an adult."

Sen was next up, like always, he had made progress as well, only having to split the boulder into two parts, unlike a week ago, when he needed to split the boulder up in over five pieces. Therefore, he was praised by both Ling and miss Shaku.

"And now… Kukuh…" she sighed audibly, she always did that when it was his turn. This time, Kukuh was confident enough he could do it. He assumed stance and in one forceful motion, the boulder burst forward, crashing through the wall, which was obliterated, into the side of the cliff behind it. Miss Shaku was dumbfounded, staring at him with her mouth widely opened. Kukuh awaited her judgment patiently, enjoying the surprise on not only miss Shaku's face, but also on that on Sen and Ling. His week of house arrest had helped him in his training –he was allowed to train behind the house, as had the little fight with Sali. It was that fight that showed him he wasn't completely powerless.

"You… surprise me Kukuh, I never believed I was ever going to say this, but… well done," she said hesitantly. She quickly recomposed herself, needing to give the three new assignments. She never got the chance, she was interrupted by lady Fa, who looked distressed.

"Miss Shaku, I'm sorry I have to interrupt your lesson, but the children need to come with me at once," she said hastily, beckoning the children to come with them before pacing off. They followed lady Fa, miss Shaku came as well, the curious woman she was, towards the village square. It seemed that everyone, including Ling the Hermit, who was watching from a distance, had gathered there. Kukuh noticed chief Ling arguing with an armored man at the center of the square, near a platform, from which important announcements were made.

"We won't just leave this village!" he yelled at soldier.

"Chief, I don't really care. I got orders from the king of Omashu to start evacuating villages among the southern coast, so here I am. Whether you like it or not, you and all the other villagers will come with me to safety, if not today, it will be tomorrow, got it?" the soldier reacted indifferently. "Now will you let me say my thing, or do I have to arrest you for crimes against the crown?" Ling stepped back, going against the king's orders didn't seem to be the right thing to do at the moment. He watched the big, bearish man climb the few steps onto the platform.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he boomed to make himself hearable to even the hermit at the end of the square, "his majesty, king Batu of Omashu, is hereby to announce that the Southern Water Tribe has engaged in hostile actions against the Earth Kingdom. Their actions have proven to be so brutal, that king Batu interpreted it as a declaration of war on our sovereign lands. Therefore, he has send me and my platoon to evacuate everyone from this village, but one person in particular." The man paused, giving the villagers some time to grasp the fact that they were at war, and probably on the front line.

"_War? But… why?" _Kukuh could not grasp it, searching for his mother in the crowds. He found her, standing somewhere near the center of the square, together with his father. Both of them looked incredibly sad, they knew what was coming. Ilu grabbed her son by his head, pushing him against her in a nearly smothering hug. Sui held his son's hand, who squeezed it a bit.

"The king would rather have waited till his sixteenth birthday, as according to tradition," the soldier continued, "but since he fears a deliberate strike against this village, he feels the need to announce that the Avatar… is among us in this village."

The announcement was met with a cacophony of whispers coming from all over the square.

"Wow mom," Kukuh whispered, "the Avatar lives here!" Kukuh had always wanted to meet the Avatar, but now it seemed he probably already had. Lady Fa had told him much about the Avatar's of the past, everything intrigued him about the mystical being. To be able to bend all elements, to visit the Spirit World and see the entire world, it sounded like a dream job.

"_For someone else though," _he thought. _"I'd rather stay here."_ His outburst of enthusiasm was not met by his parents, instead, it looked like his mother was crying and his father stood around staring in front of him, his look was the saddest Kukuh had ever seen.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, tugging at his mother's clothes. He was still about two heads smaller than his mother, but he'd been growing rapidly for the past year. The soldier's voice boomed through the air, ending all whispers.

"We are proud to escort our new Avatar back to Omashu, Avatar Kukuh!"

The following moments were a mix of disbelief, complete astonishment and a horrible, dreadfully long silence. Kukuh's eyes widened in shock, adrenaline rushed through his veins. Everyone turned towards him, staring in disbelief, among them were those who had bullied him for so long, Sen and Ling, the condescending teacher, miss Shaku and all the others, including Sali and her father.

Chief Ling blinked, muttering: "Unbelievable…" He rid himself of his pride, acknowledging that tradition should go beyond his own feeling and bowed deeply before the young boy, with everyone around following his example, albeit hesitantly. Their heads touched the ground, their backs were arched, Kukuh was left standing alone. He just stood there, nailed to the round, his eyes wide open, not knowing what to say or do. He'd rather run away, but that clearly wasn't an option. The whole ordeal had him paralyzed, transfixed, until the soldier, who'd walked up to him, snapped him out of it.

"Avatar Kukuh, you'll have to leave for Omashu at once," the soldier said. "It's highly likely that the enemy will be here within a few hours."

"B-but… I c-can't just leave now" he stammered in response, "I-I must pack my things, say goodbye to my parents…" he added in protest.

"I'm afraid the king insisted upon wasting no time at all, you'll have to leave now," the soldier said coldly, but, seeing the boy's hesitance, he added, "but I'll allow you to say goodbye to your parents." Kukuh was immediately pulled into his mother's arms, who hugged him tightly. His father squatted beside them, embracing his wife and son at the same time. Kukuh felt his mother's tears dripping on his hairs, he heard her soft sobs.

"Don't cry mom, I'll be alright," he whispered, trying to calm her down. He tried not to cry, he shouldn't, not now, not ever.

"_The Avatar shouldn't cry…"_

"We always knew this day would come son," his father said, "but still it is hard to accept it, even more so because of the circumstances."

"Avatar Kukuh, you need to go…" the soldier urged impatiently.

"_Go Kukuh, hurry!"_ Kukuh could hear a voice in his head say.

"You need to go," his mother said in between sobs, releasing her grip on him. "Be safe out there," she said, it was nearly a question.

"We love you son," Sui said, as Ilu was now unable to say anything to her son, crying visibly. Sui embraced her, she buried her face in his chest. Sui was struggling to keep his tears back, his lower lip trembled. His son turned away from them and walked through the masses, towards the soldiers the spokesman had pointed him to. That spokesman, captain Bo, would remain in Hia-Pao to evacuate the rest of the villagers, a smaller group would escort Kukuh to Omashu –smaller groups would travel faster and were therefore harder to be caught by the enemy. As he walked by her, lady Fa gave him a friendly nudge.

"You'll do great," she whispered at him, pushing him further on his way. He then walked past Sali and her father, Sali whispered a soft goodbye, Kukuh smiled apologetically in return. He didn't feel at ease leaving her, and all the other villagers, in danger. He'd rather had stayed, not only because he never wanted to leave Hia-Pao in the first place, but also because he felt like it was his duty to keep those he loved, and the village he grew up in, safe from any form of threat. He couldn't go against what the captain said, though, since he seemed to be willing to do anything it took to get him out of Hia-Pao as soon as possible.

"_I'd better go with them and sneak away if they pay too little attention."_

He finally walked past Sen, Ling and miss Shaku, the latter two were still stunned by the revelation of Kukuh's identity. Sen, to Kukuh's surprise, swallowed his pride, genuinely bidding him a good journey, or at least, he made it look genuine. Chief Ling, who had followed him down the path through the crowds, spoke some last words to him before he'd leave with his escorts.

"I never expected you, or your family, to ever be of any importance to either this village, let alone the world, but now that you are…" he paused, moving closer to Kukuh's ear, "…you'd better not dishonor our village," he hissed in the young Avatar's ear. Kukuh nodded, but he hadn't listened to what the chief said. He turned towards one of the soldiers, who stood next to another soldier, who was seated on an ostrich horse.

"I'm ready," Kukuh lied, he felt like he wasn't ready at all, but saying it out loud would change nothing and only make him look weak. In response, the soldier on foot helped him onto the ostrich horse, where he sat behind the rider.

"Good, now hold on to my back," the soldier said, spurring the ostrich horse towards one of the southern passages. From there, they took the road Kukuh had taken twelve years earlier, when he didn't realize it, his second journey to Omashu began.

* * *

_"Release that what binds you to the earth, let it fade… Let pure cosmic energy flow through your body, let go of your hatred and fear…"_

Master Tseten looked from Tenang peak, the easternmost peak in Southern Air Temple territory. The once so peaceful monk, the very example of what being an Air Nomad meant, was now filled with hatred, incomprehension, negative energy. From the moment he heard of Kalak's demise, he started blaming himself for not trying hard enough in keeping Kalak from going to the South Pole, doubting his own teachings and the advice he had given to his late student and friend. To rid himself of all the negative energy, the Council of Elders had advised him to visit the sacred places and meditate, which Tseten did. He visited each landmark, temple, peak and cave that had any significant spiritual importance to the world, which were a lot of places, and he meditated at every sacred site. Alas, it had given him no closure, no peace. He still felt restless, uneasy around the brothers and sisters, around people in general. Tenang peak was his final hope, even though it wasn't really seen as a spiritual landmark. Tseten wondered why out of all peaks in Air Nomad territory, the brothers and sisters had chosen this peak to be called after the great Avatar Tenang, who led the air nation through a time of great uncertainty, a time when its people had driven off from their cultural heritage. Avatar Tenang brought all the citizens of the air nation back to their roots and ushered in a spiritual golden age throughout the world. Philosophers like guru Saghani and sister Ayo spread their teachings throughout the world, restoring the Air Nomads' reputation as compassionate philosophers and spiritual guides. In honor of that Avatar, they named a small, insignificant peak after him.

"_What am I complaining about, Avatar Tenang would probably have appreciated it. He appreciated all the small things that made life good. He might have laughed about a peak being named after him, I mean, who wants to be remembered in the form of an earthen column somewhere on the outskirts of the world," _Tseten mused, chuckling at the thought of the Avatar's face when being told that he was, besides one of the greatest Avatars that ever lived, a rigid, solid piece of rock that happened to be over a few hundred yards tall. He returned to his meditation that had been unsuccessful up until this moment, his head was just too full with all kinds of subjects that shouldn't matter to him. He steadied his breathing, breathing in and out in a slow, but steady rhythm. He calmed down, which was, considering earlier attempts, a great achievement.

"_Empty your mind, let your thoughts be carried away on the currents of the wind."_

His clouded mind started to clear, slowly, but surely. His breathing was a soft as the slight breeze around him, hi heartbeat became one with the rhythm of oars clashing with the sea's dark waters.

"_Wait… what?"_

Tseten's eyes shot open. In front of him, as far as he could look towards the horizon, he saw ships, sails colored in a light shade of blue, nearly bluish purple. He spotted galleys, dhows even some ships who seemed more like floating houses than a boat. The sails were set towards the Earth Kingdom, whose coasts would be not far beyond the horizon. The old monk sat there, watching ship by ship float by. He gasped, realizing each ship was raising its battle ensign.

"_Oh no…"_


	5. Chapter 5: Fight or Flight

5. Fight or Flight

* * *

"Hurry up," Captain Bo incited, urging many villagers to pack their belongings at a faster rate. He began with it only two minutes after Kukuh had left the village and most people still needed to come round from the two messages Bo had delivered. Bo knew that there was no time to sit around and think about what had happened; the enemy was closing in and he needed to get everyone to safety as fast as he could, but most people weren't cooperating. For instance, that hermit outside the village had locked himself in his shack, the old lady from the infirmary wasn't willing to leave either, the fisherman couldn't get his wife to come with him and was still stuck at his house with his children and even though the chief was no willing to leave, he wasn't really rushing it. Soldiers were escorting those who were ready towards the east, past the hermit's shack and the burial grounds, to a refugee camp far to the north-east of Hia-Pao, across the Nan Shan river. Bo had stationed several guards outside of the village and on the cliffs, to warn everyone once they would see any hostile figures nearing the village. Fortunately, Hia-Pao could be defended quite easily, seeing there were only a few narrow entrances to the village, but on the other hand, the presence of the Xiao Shan river could be an advantage to the Southern Water Tribe.

Bo walked towards Chon's house, who was stashing all his things of value in a small compartment in his basement. The man had the illusion he would be able to return to his village after a short time, which Bo thought to be impossible, since it would take some time to rally all the Earth Kingdom forces and push the Southern Water Tribe back. It would at least take an entire year to be able to retake the village, if the king were to be right about the war. Bo exchanged some words with Li, telling them to hurry up. Li protested, bringing as argument that her son wasn't home yet. Bo gave them five minutes to find them, but then they would have to be on their way. He walked up to the infirmary, hoping that this time, the old lady would listen to him and leave for the refugee camp. He walked through the front door, into the dim lit living room, which also functioned as the reception room. The heavy scent of incense overwhelmed his olfactory organs, he held his breath, being unable to stand the smell. The room was empty, and after a little search, he concluded that the old woman had left her house.

"_Maybe some sense got into her…"_

He wanted to carry on with his mission, but was interrupted by one of his subordinates.

"Captain…"

"They are near, aren't they?"

The soldier nodded. "They've been spotted down the river."

"Alright," Bo heaved a sorrowful sigh, "turn to plan B, drive everyone out of here, for their own good…" he paused, adding something to his order after a few seconds of silence. The soldier ran away in the meantime, so Bo had to yell it after him. "Gather all the earth benders of the village, they could help us buy the unarmed villagers some time!"

Things now happened rapidly in succession, people were driven from their houses by Earth Kingdom soldiers, gathered in groups and led towards the refugee camp. The evacuation was nearly complete, save for the chief and his family, the hermit and the family down the river.

"_And I haven't found the missing son, and that old lady, either…"_ Bo thought, even though he was quite content with successfully evacuating most of the village. The soldier he had sent out to gather the village's earth benders had returned, informing his captain that he had stationed the earth benders at one of the passages into the village.

"Good," Bo grunted, "how close are they?"

The question didn't need to be answered, a group of five water benders barged into the village through the river. It seemed that they had used the water as cover, slipping past the soldiers at the outskirts of the village without being detected.

"Get them here!" Bo barked at his subordinate, who sped off. "I'll hold them off for a while!"

The soldier reached the passage, but fighting had ensued there as well. Soldiers, originally from the armies of both the Earth King and king Batu, fought side by side with miss Shaku, her two student, Sen and Ling, and two other villagers. Chon could have defended the village, even though never being trained, and the other absentee was the chief, Ling the Elder.

"The captain ordered us to retreat into the village!" the soldier shouted from afar, turning back immediately to help the captain in his fight.

"If we leave," Sen argued.

"The village will be overrun," Ling finished for him, "that's true, but that will happen anyway. Staying here will mean we'll die and I don't fancy dying yet!"

"Go!" miss Shaku yelled, before turning to a soldier next to her, "you there, help me seal the entrances." Sen, Ling and a few soldiers ran towards the village square, while the two other villagers ran towards one of the other two entrances, to seal it off. Miss Shaku and the soldier stomped the ground with their feet, positioned wide and pushed the earth up in a lifting motion, until both arms were high in the sky. The ground before the crumbled, a rocky column grew from the ground, effectively blocking the passage. "Great, now onto the other one," miss Shaku said, gesturing the soldier to follow her. They ran towards the final entrance, but warriors were already coming through.

"Miss, go to the village square, I'll handle this," the soldier said, coating himself in earthen armor, bashing himself through the crowds ahead of him. In the center of the passage, while his earthen coating was giving up on him, he dug his hands into the sides of the cliffs, and made a pulling motion. The sides high above him collapsed, falling down upon him and many southern warriors.

* * *

"Pingping, Ching, hurry!" chief Ling shouted, running through the doorway. "They are in the village!" His wife shot up, grabbing two bags from the other side of the room. She was about to step through the doorway, until she noticed her husband was not following her lead.

"You're not coming with us?" she asked, knowing the answer.

"I must stay until everyone is gone," he replied, smiling at her in a sorrowful, apologetic way. "Take Ching with you and get out of here, I'll find Ling and send him your way." Footsteps could be heard outside. Ling looked through the window, seeing three men approaching his house. "Go through the backdoor," he whispered at his wife, "then take the second passage down the cliff. Try to reach the bridge and run towards the burial mounds, after that you will be safe."

"What about you?"

"I'll try to hold them off, now go!"

"I love you Ling," she whispered, kissing him, before leaving through the backdoor, her son following her.

"I love you too…" he murmured. A man barged through the door, catching Ling off guard –he was still turned to the backdoor. As soon as Ling had turned himself around, a sword cut through his clothes, flesh and bones, piercing his heart. A final breath slipped through Ling's lips as his attacker drew his sword from body, after which he fell to the grounds.

"_I become one with the ancestors…"_

* * *

"Halt!"

The group of five riders stopped at once, the road was being blocked by a fallen tree. A man sat on a stone, next to the trunk, covered in a ragged brown cloth. He sat there, his hands were trembling, as if he had seen something horrible.

"You there," the company's leader, Geng, barked at the person under the cloth, "state your business!"

"Oh please good sir," the man wailed, "I was carrying my belongings with me, since I heard some rumors about an impending invasion, trying to get to Gaoling, but this tree fell down. I could barely evade the tree, but my money and clothes got stuck underneath the tree," he pointed at a small pouch, partly sticking out from underneath the fallen tree. Geng groaned, signaling everyone to get off their ostrich horses.

"Hoying, help me get this tree out of the way!" Geng barked at the soldier that had been sitting in front of Kukuh for the past ten minutes. They hadn't made that much progress and this unfortunate delay irritated Geng to quite an extent. Two soldiers stood around Kukuh, a third man stood close to the man in need. Geng and Hoying threw the tree to the side of the road by the means of earth bending.

"Give the man his money," Geng commanded. Hoying picked the pouch from the ground, it felt wet and it left a dark stain on the ground, staring at a little cord that seemed to be on fire.

"Sir…?" he tried alerting his commander, but it was too late. The pouch exploded, killing Hoying instantly and knocking commander Geng and one of the soldiers to the ground. Kukuh's guards instinctively charged at the man covered in rags, who jumped up, throwing the brown rags away. At that very moment, multiple men jumped down from the trees and started to fight with Kukuh's guards and commander Geng, who was back on his own feet again. The other downed soldier had been killed by the previously covered man, who was sporting the very distinctive wolftail haircut, giving away the man's nationality. The soldiers were quickly taken down, but commander Geng proved to be a tougher challenge.

* * *

In the meantime, at the exact moment of the explosion, Kukuh dove away from the blast and his guards, into one of the surrounding bushes. He had seen what ensued next, but hadn't stuck around to await his escorts' fate. He ran, through the bushes, back towards Hia-Pao, scratching his arms and legs to thorns sticking out of some plants. He heard some men following him, he ran faster, terrified, he knew exactly what those man wanted to do to him. Captain Bo's impatience had hinted at it back at Hia-Pao. The sound footsteps and rustling of leaves and twines started to close in and Kukuh was getting tired. He tripped over a trees uncovered root, falling through two more bushes, into the cold water of the Xiao Shan. Instinctively, Kukuh swam with the current, also knowing the river would lead him back to the village. With short intervals to breathe, he swam underwater until he deemed it safe enough to surface. He stayed alert, however, since there could be more southern warriors in the forests around him. He crawled on the river bank, which was slightly higher above the water's surface than it was beyond the village. Completely soaked, Kukuh walked through some bushes, so he couldn't be seen as quickly as he would walking out in the open. Now, he would be able to get into the village through the passage near the burial mounds. He quickened his pace, completely disappearing from warriors who could be watching from the other side of the river.

* * *

"You've failed," Geng groaned, coughing up some blood. His squad was dead, but at least the boy had gone missing, which meant he could still be alive.

"_At least they didn't catch him…"_

The man that had tricked them into the ambush was seated on the stone he had been sitting on earlier. He was scratching his chin with his knife, made of a tiger shark tooth.

"You know…" he replied, "I shouldn't do what I'm doing… it's just how I got this scar," he pointed at the scar on his jaw. "Now…" he continued, "I fear that we've been unable to catch the Avatar," he glanced at one of the warriors standing around him, who nodded in return. "I think you understand me when I say that, that makes me feel quite… annoyed."

"Why, because the lot of you weren't smart enough to catch a boy?" Geng asked sarcastically. A warrior smacked him in the face and was about to do it again, if Manak hadn't stopped him, standing up from his stone, grabbing the warrior's wrist and throwing him to the ground.

"I believe you were inadequate to defend the boy in the first place," he said, tilting his head slightly, smiling deviously at Geng, before planting his knife in Geng's chest.

* * *

"Has everyone on this side of the bridge been evacuated?!" Bo yelled at some soldiers running towards him. He'd dealt, with help from Sen, Ling and a few soldiers, with the five water benders that had entered the village through the river. Now, having rallied his squad, for as far as they were still alive, back to the village square, he needed to assess the situation in order to plan what to do next.

"I think everyone has," one of the soldiers answered, "but they killed the chief." Ling stopped with everything he was doing at that moment, he didn't think, breathe or talk, he just stood there. He, a thirteen year old, fatherless. Sen put his hand on Ling's shoulder, trying to comfort him, but he got no reaction. He gave up after a few seconds, having to focus on the matter at hand, namely, the ongoing invasion of his village.

"That's unfortunate," Bo muttered, rubbing his stubbly chin and jaws, before ordering everyone to retreat across the bridge. They ran, five by five, past a few houses, towards the bridge; Sen had to drag Ling with him. More water benders entered the village, this time from the north, surfing on wooden planks or disks of ice, using water bending to go against the current at incredible speed. "Get across the bridge you idiots!" Bo barked, "Go, go, go!" They ran over the long spanning wooden bridge, with the water benders coming closer every second. Captain Bo was halfway the bridge when they started attacking the bridge's supports with water whips, smashing against the thin wooden stakes with astonishing power. The supports broke, one after another, and the bridge started to fall apart. Captain Bo jumped his way towards the other side, balancing on the parts still standing.

"Things are getting too heated sir!" a soldier yelled at him.

"Agreed, it's everyone on his or her own from now on, try to get to the refugee camp!" Bo yelled back, after which the group of soldiers and villagers broke up, running towards the two passages in the east.

* * *

"Sanna, my dear, we need to go," Kormuk whispered softly in his wife's ear. She barely responded, only glancing at her husband for a split second. She muttered some incoherent words, she could hardly be heard, frail as her voice was. Kormuk smiled, albeit disheartened, trying to get his wife to go with him again. She didn't bother looking up this time and she didn't talk either.

"Dad, there are mean men outside, they are fighting with Sali," a little boy tugged at his father's tunic, sounding somewhat enthusiastic.

"What?!"

"Yeah," a girl blurted out. "She's kicking their butts!" Kormuk rushed through the doorway, seeing Sali fighting off three men, but, unlike his daughter claimed, she looked like she was the underdog.

"Try to get your mother out of here," Kormuk told the rest of his children, two boys and two girls. "Get to the burial mounds, from there some nice people will get you to safety." He ran towards Sali and her three assailants, readying a large wave of water, shouting: "I'm going to help Sali, go!"

* * *

Sali was hardly keeping up with her opponents, who outclassed her greatly. The only thing she could do was deflecting their attacks, which increased in frequency. A blast of water caught her unaware, smacking her against the side of a tree, where she was frozen in place. The man responsible readied a water whip, freezing its tip, more commonly known as the partial ice whip. He slashed at her, hitting her left cheek with the icy tip, cutting her skin superficially. He readied for another attack, but was flushed into the river by a large wave of water. Sali saw her father had come to her rescue. He immediately broke the ice around his daughter, free her from her cold restraints, and send the shatters flying to one of the two remaining aggressors, who tried to destroy the small icy blades, but failed to do so. The man was sent flying backwards, with the ice penetrating his flesh at multiple points. The only man left standing created a high wall of water between him and Kormuk, rotating it around him faster and faster, pushing sideways with one hand, while slowly raising the other until he cut his arm down, all his fingertips pointing at Kormuk, sending a small, thin wave of water towards Kormuk at incredible speed. Kormuk stepped aside, pulled his hands towards his body, turning into a sideways position, pushing his frontal arm forward gracefully, the palm of his hand opened. The attack initially aimed at him turned around him and was now closing in on the person who sent it in the first place. His eyes widened in horror, due to its velocity, the water cut through the rotating wall, through the water bender's shoulder, nearly severing it completely. The sheer force of the attack left the man spinning towards the river, Sali gave him the final nudge with a water whip to send him falling into the cold river.

They stared at each other, father and daughter, triumphantly, proud. Their moment of glory was interrupted and ruined by an icy scream, coming from their house, followed by a gust of water breaking one of its windows and throwing out a warrior.

"Sanna!" Kormuk yelled, realizing whom the scream belonged to. He ran towards their house, rushed back inside, flanked by his daughter, who had noticed the man laying outside had died falling into a piece of shattered wood.

"_Probably from the window,"_ she reasoned, disgusting her own coolness about the subject. Somehow, she couldn't feel sorry for any of her, her father's or someone else's victims; her coolness turned into dread as she saw what had happened inside. What she saw was nauseating to say the least, both her and her father's faces turned white. They stood in a pool of red blood, Kormuk fell on his knees, cradling two of his disfigured sons' heads. A bit further in the room, Sali saw her sisters, throats slit, bodies mutilated.

"Monsters…" Sali whispered, her heart and blood filled with resentment, feeling the need of vengeance.

"Those… monsters are still our people, Sali," Kormuk hissed.

"How can you defend them?! They've killed my brother and sisters!"

"My children!" Kormuk yelled at her, filled with anger, falling silent afterwards. Both he and Sali noticed the large gaping hole in the wall at the end of the room. Angered screams could be heard from outside the house, followed by calls for assistance. Sali and Kormuk, both covered in blood, recognizing the screams to be Sanna's. What was happening outside amazed both Sali and her father. Sanna was fighting off at least fifteen water benders, moving back and forth on a large water spout, lashing out multiple whips as her attackers in a seemingly unstoppable frenzy. One warrior after another got hit by one of the many tendrils of water.

"Murderers!" she kept screeching.

The situation changed when a warrior dodged whip after whip, rolling and jumping closer to the spout's bottom. Standing in vicinity, the warrior started adding water to the spout, at first sight a rather inoffensive thing to do as the spout only started to grow in strength.

"Sali, we need to stop him!" Kormuk exclaimed, knowing the danger of what the warrior was doing. "If he continues to add water to the spout, it will grow out of your mother's control!" That much was true, in her frenzy, Sanna didn't immediately notice the man underneath her destabilizing the spout she was on, but when she did, it was already too late. The spout spun out of control, wildly twisting around. The situation turned more sour as the warrior suddenly froze the spout, stopping it in its tracks, but since Sanna was still moving at the same velocity as before, she was thrown from the frozen spout to the other side of the river, crashing into a solid rock on the other side. The force left cracks in the rock, she slid down on her face, rendered immobile. Both Sali and Kormuk were left speechless, the latter sped towards his wife, creating an ice ramp to cross the river.

"Sali, get to the burial mounds!" he yelled at his daughter, "We'll catch up!" Sali wanted to protest, but hearing the severity in her father's voice, she decided not to. She did what her father told her to do, running back, around her house –she didn't want to see her brothers and sisters like they were once more. She encountered a few warriors, armed with clubs, whom she quickly disposed of, sating her thirst for revenge for the time being.

"Come on Sanna, please wake up," Kormuk wailed, rocking her paralytic body back and forth. There was no sign of life in her body, no pulse, no breathing, nothing at all. "Don't leave me…" His words were not heard and his wife's killer was closing in, having checked upon his comrades earlier. Water benders from his side of the river had spotted him as well, outnumbering him greatly, so he was left with no other option than to leave his wife's body behind and run for the burial fields. Using another ice ramp, he crossed the Xiao Shan diagonally, evading a direct confrontation.

* * *

_"I think I've lost all of them…"_

"_Wait…"_

He dove to the ground, looking from behind the leaves of his bushy hideout. Four men on wooden planks and ice disks shot past him, over the river, using water bending to speed themselves up.

"_Now I've definitely lost all of them…" _he smirked, his plan had been simple, but successful nonetheless. Now it was merely a case of getting to Hia-Pao as fast as he could. From beneath the trees, most of them were pine trees, he could see the grey cliffs blocking out the sun. He started running, along the river now, unhindered by bushes or trees, since the people chasing him had passed by him moments ago. From where he was, he couldn't hear anything happening in the village, which concerned him the most at that moment. His own life was now relatively safe, but the lives of his loved ones were still in danger, for as far as he knew of course. He ran, hearing faint sounds coming from behind the cliffs, none of which pleased him.

"_They're definitely there…"_

The sounds got louder, Kukuh could hear weapons clashing together, screams of pain and the sound of earth colliding with earth.

"_The soldiers must be putting up a tough fight."_

He was getting close now, the noise coming from the village was, for as far as it was possible, clear for Kukuh to hear. The noise didn't worry him per se, but the smoke coming from behind the cliffs did.

"_Fire, not good! I should have stayed…"_

"_And what exactly would you have done when you'd stayed?" _a voice in his head asked. Kukuh tried to ignore it.

"_Great… now I'm going crazy."_

He sprinted, reaching the cliffs on his side of the river. It was only then that he realized his arms and legs were feeling numb, probably because he had fallen into the cold river earlier. He noticed the scratch marks on his arms and legs and the little blood around them, but he couldn't pay too much attention to them at the moment; besides, he didn't feel them anyway. He could have taken the detour towards the burial mounds, but decided it would be faster to climb alongside the cliff, to get to the other side of it and so he found himself hanging above the Xiao Shan in no time. He could've jumped into the river, but that would be risky with all these water benders around. If they would spot him, they would only have to freeze the water and he would be caught. What he was doing was risky enough on its own, there was no need to make an even riskier move. He'd done it before, climbing along the cliffs to get out of, or into, the village, that's why he stood on solid ground again within a minute. He observed the village on the other side of the river, Chon's house and his neighbors' houses were on fire and behind a few trees, he could see the chief's house catching fire as well. As for people, he saw only warriors he didn't recognize so he guessed them to be from the Southern Water Tribe.

"_No one there, perhaps…" _his thoughts were interrupted by sounds of a fight coming from the direction of the hermit's shack. His curiosity got the better of him, so he sneaked into its direction. Kukuh closed in on the fight, the sound of splashing water became louder. He hid behind a tree, cautiously peeking from behind his hiding place to see what was going on.

* * *

"Sali!" Kormuk yelled from a distance, slowly catching up on his daughter, "Run faster!" His daughter didn't respond, but Kormuk knew she'd heard him. Both of them were running towards the passage that meant freedom, towards the burial fields. Behind some trees, Kormuk could clearly see the gap between the cliffs, the gap both of them were running to. However, a pesky former fellow tribesman interfered, cutting him off from his daughter, who seemed not to notice what was going on behind her. He had to make a choice, fight his way past the man and risk getting caught by more warriors, or run towards the other passage, a bit more to the southeast and, and risk losing sight of his daughter.

"_If I get caught, I won't see her anyway…" _Kormuk reasoned, opting to run to the other passage. His move had effect, the man didn't chase his daughter, but went after him. He started to regret his choice after sprinting for a few yards, he was getting tired rapidly. Ever since he had been forced to move from Qaanqa, the southern capital, to the Earth Kingdom, he had refrained from physical exercise, which he regretted heavily at the moment. The passage was getting closer, but it was still quite a way to go. He could see a soldier from captain Bo's squad stand guard near the passage, Kormuk wondered why. Luckily for him, the man chasing him was slowing down, probably because he saw the soldier as well. With a few powerful steps, they were nearly short leaps, he rushed past the soldier.

"Are you the last one," he had yelled at Kormuk before he ran past him, to which Kormuk had yelled a confirmation in reply. "Good, I'll close the passage!" he yelled after Kormuk, who, even though not as fast as earlier, ran towards the burial mounds. He arrived there not much later, where he sat down to wait for his daughter, but the soldier, who seemed to have closed the passage already, ordered him to come along towards the refugee camp. Kormuk wanted to protest, but another guard said he'd seen a girl run off in the camp's direction not that much earlier. Kormuk reasoned it must have been Sali and agreed to go towards the refugee camp. One soldier stayed behind to wait for the last moment to close the passage, hoping some people were still able to get through, if there were any left behind.

* * *

Whoever that guy was, he was doing a fine job at fighting a water bender without being so himself, Sali found herself outsmarted by the man multiple times. She'd encountered him near Ling's shack, dragging the hermit with him back to the village. Upon seeing her, the man didn't doubt and stabbed the poor hermit multiple times with his little knife, before lunging himself at her. Now, she found herself in a nasty situation, realizing the man wasn't easy to take down. He dodged most of her attack with ease and whenever the miracle of hitting him occurred, he shrugged it off and continued his attacks on her. In an instinctive move to save herself, she threw herself back, evading the blade coming at her by only a hair's width.

"Well, well," the man smirked, "this is a typical 'out of the frying pan and into fire' situation, isn't it." He locked her to the ground, putting his lower leg on both hers and his knife to her throat. "You are a water bender, which makes you kin…" he hissed in her ear, "but you fight against us, which makes you a traitor." He paused, grinning deviously. "Chief Adok happened to mention that we were allowed to do with traitors as we please." Sali eyes widened with horror, she clenched her fists, rage coursed through her veins, but she was unable to act, the man had her at his mercy. She closed her eyes, hoping for everything to be over soon, but nothing happened; all she heard was a soft thump. She wondered why it was taking so long, guessing that it was the man's way to mentally torture her, but after she heard another dull pound, she peeked around, closing her eyes immediately as she saw a silhouette approach her.

"What are you doing?" she heard a familiar voice ask, adding jokingly, "this isn't the best time to nap you know." She sat up, staring at the boy in front of her.

"Kukuh!" she exclaimed, jumping up and hugging him tightly out of joy and gratitude. "You can't imagine how glad I am to see you." She looked over his shoulder, seeing that the man that had assaulted her had been knocked out cold.

"Uh… you can let me go now…" he reacted awkwardly, patting her on the head. She let him go, taking a step back. He noticed the cut on her left cheek, which bled a little. "Here," he said, wiping the blood away, "you're bleeding a little." He observed her and was shocked by her condition. Her clothes were torn, she had several bruises and a few cuts on her arms. Her usually bright blue eyes were dull and incredibly sad. "You look awful…"

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry," she snapped at him, "but I didn't have the luxury of a military escort to protect me!" Her outburst was met with silence from Kukuh's side, who didn't know how to react at first.

"I-I'm sorry…" he stumbled.

"Well, you better be!" she snarled. "You have no idea what I've just been through. They killed Ling," she said, pointing at the hermit, but she didn't mention what had happened to her brothers and sisters, "and they've probably crippled my mother!"

"I…" Kukuh tried to say something, but he couldn't find the right words, until he quietly said: "It's my fault… I should have stayed and should have given myself up them…" he paused, looking away from Sali in shame, "all of this wouldn't have happened if I'd done that." Another long silence followed, in which Kukuh didn't know what to say to Sali and Sali was too still too angry to say something to Kukuh. After a little while, longer was not permitted by the circumstances, Kukuh broke the silence. "Come on, we got to go?"

"Whereto?" Sali asked, still sounding a bit irritated. "You can't go to the refugee camp, otherwise those monsters will follow us there and kill everyone."

"You're right…" Kukuh replied cheerlessly, "my only option is to go to Omashu now."

"I thought you just said you never should have gone away," Sali remarked spitefully.

"That was when I thought I could still fix this… but I can't. The only way to make it up to everyone who has suffered today is to get to Omashu and train to become a great Avatar. After that I can bring justice to those who mistreated both you and everyone else here today."

"You wouldn't survive a day out there," Sali huffed, her angered voice turned to deceivingly cheerful in a short moment, "you'll need me to come with you." Kukuh did notice sudden change in her mood, but didn't inquire what had caused the change.

"_Better ask that later."_

"Would you come with me, all the way to Omashu?" he asked, "Don't you know that it's a long way from here?"

"I know, but I guess the soldiers will bring my father to Omashu eventually, so why should I look for him if he will come to me," she replied coolly, "besides, if you had to face off against some water bending dangers on your own, you'd end up looking worse than you do now." She smacked him on his arm, just as the numbness started to fade. Kukuh wanted to scream, but he bit his lower lip to prevent that from happening, the enemies were still near.

"We'd better go," he stated, leading the way towards the passage. "By the way, how comes you can say I look awful to me, but I can't say it to you?"

"Something called hormones," Sali replied comically.

"You know, I'm starting to worry about you, your behaving strange… first, you are really happy, then you yell at me, after that you turn happy again and now your acting like…"

"Like?"

"Not yourself…"

She arched her eyebrow, muttering: "I'm fine, I just need some time to process what happened today."

"You're probably right, I mean, I'm horrified seeing the aftermath of all this, but you were in the middle of it."

"Yeah…" she paused, gulping before quietly adding, "it was horrible." She had said it so softly that Kukuh hadn't heard it, he seemed to be living up a bit more, after Sali's falling out with him. They walked through the passage, a soldier asked them if they were the last ones getting out. "Yes… everyone else is dead," Sali replied, turning her head away from both Kukuh and the soldier, to wipe an escaped tear from her eye. "Let's go," she mumbled to Kukuh. They turned north, under the sound of stone sliding along stone as the guard closed the final passage, buying himself time to withdraw to the refugee camp unseen.

* * *

"Something bugs me," Kukuh stated after walking for a mile. Sali looked at him, standing still next to him.

"What?"

"Once I mentioned that I wanted to go to Omashu, you suddenly went from angry with me, to all goodies."

"All goodies?"

"You know… like everything was fine all of a sudden."

"So?"

"Why?"

Sali sighed, thinking up a quick lie: "I want to help you bring justice to the people who did all that," she pointed at the smoke clouds far behind them. "You said it was your goal, so I want to help you achieve it."

"Oh, I guess that's a reason for wanting to come with me, but that doesn't explain…"

"Well, if we'd be bickering the entire way to Omashu…" Sali interrupted, breaking off her sentence intentionally.

"Point taken," Kukuh agreed with her, seeing reason behind her words. They were about to continue their walk down the forest path, but they were alarmed by the rustling of leaves in the bushes near where they stood. Instinctively, both Sali and Kukuh jumped into their bending stance.

"Please, don't attack children."

"Lady Fa?"

* * *

"I'm glad to have found the two of you, although I thought you had left for Omashu," she glared at Kukuh. "But now that you are here, you can help me." Lady Fa gestured the two to follow her, telling them to be as silent as they could be. After sneaking past a few bushes and trees, squatting down behind a bush. Lady Fa told them to peek through the leaves, which they did. Through the leaves, they could see a few warriors sitting around a campfire.

"Soldiers… why are you showing us this?" Kukuh asked the old lady. Sali observed the clearing, seeing a prisoner tied to a tree.

"Kukuh, look!" she hissed, trying to get his attention, pointing through the hole in the bush. "They've got Sen."

"Indeed," lady Fa confirmed, "I saw them taking Sen through the woods earlier. I wanted to help him at first, but when I saw with how many they were, I decided to look for help. Fortunately, I ran into you two after only a few moments."

"You want to rescue him?" Sali asked, making it obvious she didn't feel like helping the person who had bullied both her, and Kukuh, from time to time.

Lady Fa avoided answering by asking Sali a question: "You don't want to? Think about what those men could do to him," Fa's voice hinted on disappointment.

"I don't really care, not after what he did to me for all those years," she responded bitterly.

"Still, we can't leave him," Kukuh argued, "I'll help you get him out of there. It's the least I can do after leaving all of you."

"If he helps, I'll help too…" Sali groaned, displeased by the course of action they were going to take.

"Thank you," the old woman replied gratefully. "Now, you two get him out of there, I'll distract those soldiers." The lady walked into the clearing, coughing for attention. The ten soldiers around the campfire and the three guarding Sen turned towards her.

"Who're you?" one of them inquired, adding a second question, "What do you want?" The soldiers took a step towards her, readying their spears –for as far as they had one. Behind their backs, Kukuh and Sali tip-toed to the tree Sen was bound to. He was looking good for a prisoner, he was hardly bruised and it looked like he had suffered no wounds. Sen was a lean boy, slightly taller than Kukuh, with a rather plain face and short black hair. His eyes were dark green, Kukuh remembered, but at the moment they were closed.

"Sen," Kukuh whispered, Sen opened his eyes, casting a surprised look at his rescuers. "Come, we're getting you out of here." With that, Sali cut the ropes, setting Sen free.

"Thanks, I thought I was done for."

"I was hoping you were…" Sali mumbled quietly, Kukuh and Sen didn't hear her. They sneaked away, but one alert soldier saw it just in time.

"The prisoner is escaping!" he yelled, alerting the other soldiers who were occupied with whatever lady Fa was saying.

"She's in on it!" another soldier yelled, thrusting his spear into lady Fa's abdomen.

"Run you three!" Fa yelled, stumbling back as the soldier who stabbed her withdrew his spear, bewildered, not having expected the attack on her. She pressed her hand on her wound, trying to stop the bleeding. The soldiers had turned their attention towards the three youngsters, starting their chase.

"Get them men!" The soldiers reached the bushes in which Sen, Sali and Kukuh had disappeared, but they were stopped as out of nothing, an earthen wall rose around them in the shape of a horseshoe. Lady Fa used all the power she had to lower the ground within those walls, sinking it, so the soldiers would be unable to go anywhere.

"I'm sorry gentlemen," she coughed, her voice was weak, "even though I'm against physically hurting others, I must protect the children of my village." Drawing her stretched hands to her chest in one rapid, but rigid, motion, the earthen walls collapsed, the earth it contained flowed into the soldier filled hole in the ground. The soldiers, crying for help, were buried alive, their voices eventually smothered. Lady Fa, sat down; resting against a stone, she waited for her life to end. She knew the wound she had was too grave for her to survive, unless she would get medical attention immediately, she would die. She consented in her fate; she closed her eyes and waited.

* * *

After a short while, Fa heard some voices near her, voices she recognized. She looked up, smiling faintly, the children she had protected had come back for her. They kneeled down next to her, looking at her wound.

"It looks really bad, doesn't it?" she asked rhetorically. The three nodded, Sali seemed void of emotion, while Sen and Kukuh were nearly crying. Seeing the old lady, who they'd always seen as the mother of their village, knowing everyone and every little secret. She was always there when you needed her help, giving helpful advice when you needed it, or her shoulder when you needed to cry. She knew what was important, not only to the children, but also the adults, having seen most of them grow up as well.

"Sen…" she tugged his sleeve, "do you remember the first time you came to my doorstep?" Sen nodded, trying his hardest to fight the tears burning in the corners of his eyes. "You were four years old, cold, wet and very sad. I took you inside and gave you…"

"Some tea," Sen interrupted, his voice was raspy, "and a cookie."

"Yes. Then you told me about how Ling had pushed you into the river. I told you…" she paused, taking a deep breath.

"You told me to confront him, to ask him why he did it," Sen filled in for her, a first tear rolled down his cheek.

"Afterwards both of you became inseparable," Fa smiled. She turned to Sali, who'd adopted a stone-like expression. "And you, Sali, you came to me crying, because no one wanted to play with you, just because she weren't from the village."

"You told me to keep trying," she whispered, "to never give up." Her stony mask showed signs of faint weakness.

"You found some people to play with eventually, I can remember the days when you used to…" she coughed, "to…" She couldn't finish her sentence, inhaling and exhaling rapidly, as if she was hyperventilating. "You found a friend in Kukuh," she pointed at the boy next to her, "who kept your secret safe after he found out, even though you had kept it from him for many years." She stared at the water bender for a moment, saddened by Sali's attempts to mask her feelings. "I know that today, terrible things have happened and that you've had to see what no child should ever see," she spoke. Her words had impact, cracks appeared in Sali's mask of stone. "Remember that you should never hide your sad feelings, cropping them up inside you will eventually tear you apart. At first, it might feel safe, not having to face what has been bothering, or frightening, you, but eventually, it will have to come out and it'll be all the more violent." Sali burst out into tears, pressing her head against Fa's upper leg. The dying woman caressed her head, hushing her. "Cry now, throw it all out, but don't dally in your grief, because it will turn into hate. You won't honor those you've lost with hate, you'll honor them by moving on, dedicating the great things you accomplish in your life to them. I had to do the same when my mother, whom I dearly loved, passed away, even though that was under far different circumstances; the idea, however, stays the same." She took some time to think about what she was going to say next, wanting to address Kukuh, but she saw, looking at Sali's begging eyes, she needed to expand on what she had said to the foreign girl. "When my mother died Sali, I mourned her loss for some time, but eventually I had to move on. I could have continued to mourn my mother, but how would that honor my mother, who taught me to help others as much as you could. If I had been busy mourning my mother, I wouldn't have been able to advise the three of you, whenever you had problems. I wouldn't have been able to play games of Pai Sho with you, or tend to the old and sick." She lifted Sali's chin up and looked into her eyes. "Promise me you will move on after you've taken some time to grieve."

"I p-promise," she whispered, her voice trembling. Lady Fa finally turned to Kukuh, closing her eyes.

"And you… you have an enormous task cut out for you. A war has begun and… you must… stop it before it throws the world completely out of balance." She took some time to steady her breathing, she was starting to hyperventilate again. "You now need to reach Oma… shu on your own…"

"Not alone," Sali interrupted, sniffling, "I'm going with him."

"Me too," Sen declared, wiping the tears from his eyes. His statement was met with surprise from Kukuh and Sali's side, with the latter not seeming exactly overjoyed.

"But…" she protested, "you don't even like us." Sen wanted to respond, but lady Fa didn't let him.

"I think the three of you, however unexpected, would make a good trio. If you give Sen the chance to redeem himself, I'm sure he will not disappoint you."

"But…"

"Everyone deserves a chance of redemption," she cut her protest short, "even those whom you might disgust or hate. So when the person in question seems genuinely willing to redeem himself, you should not stand in his or her way." She turned back to Kukuh, saying weakly: "You've got friends to help you achieve your goal. Once you get to Omashu, see the king, he will be expecting you. You will receive training, harder than the training you were used to. Miss Shaku is nothing compared to the teachers the king has to offer. It will be hard, since, as you said yourself, you're not one of the most talented earth benders, but through hard work, determination and above all, the right attitude, I'm…" she cringed, applying more pressure to her abdomen in the hope to relieve the pain. "I'm sure that… you'll…" she inhaled deeply, blurting out what she else she wanted to say as fast as she could, "you'll become a great Avatar." She leaned her head back, resting it on the stone's hard surface. "I wish I could have been able to see what you'll become, but I think I'm not going to make it that long," she laughed wryly. Her pain was fading, she felt like she was drifting on the wind's currents, as if she was a leaf. "Don't doubt your… self, Kukuh… you can't… afford to doubt…" she let go of Kukuh's hand, which she had been holding for the past minutes. Her breathing shortened to little gasps for air, until she stopped inhaling at all. Already waning herself elsewhere in confusion, sighing loudly afterwards, breathing out her last breath, she mumbled:

"I think I must visit mother soon, I haven't seen haven't seen her in a while…"

The three children were left alone, crying in the middle of the woods, seeing smoke rise in the far south, homeless, stricken with grief.


	6. Chapter 6: The Lady and the Beggar

6. The Lady and the Beggar

* * *

"Come on you two, we're nearly there!" Sali yelled to Sen and Kukuh behind her, running far ahead of them towards Gaoling's little standalone gate. Sen and Kukuh had been talking since both of them had woken up that day, whereas Sen had been awfully quiet the day before. That on its own wasn't that surprising, all of them had been pretty distant to one another, still trying to process what had happened the day before that day. Kukuh had done what lady Fa asked him to do, he had given Sen a chance and done it without doubting a second. Over the past few hours, he'd found Sen to be a pretty cool guy, he'd even apologized for things Kukuh had forgotten a long time ago. Those apologies, Sali said she found them to be a bit forced, thusly she didn't accept them, were, for as far as Kukuh was concerned, genuine. Sali had scoffed when Kukuh told Sen he'd accepted his apologies, they had ignored it. Sali leaned against a tree, a dozen of them were planted next to the road, waiting for her two companions to catch up. She rubbed her over her cheek, feeling the sab that covered the wound on her face.

The two caught up with her, the trio walked towards the gate. They saw two armed men standing guard at the gate.

"State your business," the guard on the right demanded.

"We're looking for shelter for the upcoming night," Kukuh spoke, being the Avatar made him the leader, for as far as you could speak of a leader in a group with young teenagers.

"Why do you think there is shelter to be found here?" the other guard asked.

"What my colleague meant to ask is why do you think we will let you in. You look like three runaways and Gaoling policy states not to harbor runaways, whether they be criminal or no," the guard on the right calmly stated. "I propose you go home at once, your parents must be worried sick with the impending invasion and all."

"Oh, we would love to go home," Sali responded rolling her eyes, "but seeing it probably got burnt to the ground by southern warriors, I think that'll be quite impossible," she spat out those last words. The guards looked at each other, shocked, realizing their rudeness towards refugees from a neighboring village.

"Oh… well in that case ah… just pass through and eh… we'll forget about this situation, alright? " The three looked at each other, nodded at the guards and walked through the gate. After only having taken three steps, they were halted again by the same guards, who had noticed Sali's waterskin, which she had taken from one of the water benders she defeated back at Hia-Pao.

"You there," the left guard said, grabbing Sali's arm, inspecting the waterskin on her hip closely, "are you a water bender?" The other guard took an offensive posture, pointing his polearm at Sali. Sali reached with her hand for the waterskin, but Kukuh held her back.

"She stole it from a warrior so we had something to drink along the way," Kukuh explained, it wasn't a lie entirely, they had used it to drink some water when they were thirsty. The guards thought for a second, then concluded that the explanation given sufficed to let them carry on.

* * *

Gaoling was a rather busy town, whereas Hia-Pao used to be quite sleepy. Even though the village had guards stationed at almost every corner and some people were already packing to leave, most of its residents didn't seem to be worried about the war, going about with their everyday life. The marketplace was, as always, bustling with activity; traders from throughout the southern Earth Kingdom used Gaoling as a staple market. Gaoling was so different compared to Hia-Pao, the streets were covered with smooth, large stones, most buildings were also made of stone, they even had roof tiles, whereas Hia-Pao had dirt roads and houses made of wood.

"If this is what people call a town," Sen mumbled slowly, astonished by what he saw, "I can't imagine how great Omashu must look like." The three wandered around, aimlessly, gawking at everything they saw. From the wooden stands scattered over the marketplace, to the public garden near the town's center. After a while, the three sat down on a bench, near the main road.

"Look at them…" Sen said, "I think most of the people here don't even know what's going on in the south."

Sali nodded, adding: "We were warned and still chaos ensued once Hia-Pao was invaded. Think about what will happen here once the southern armies show up."

"It'll be a slaughter," Sen remarked bluntly. Seeing the effect of his words on Kukuh, trying to enervate what he said, he added: "unless the southerners just occupy the town." Kukuh stood up and walked up to a random stranger, telling Sali and Sen that he should warn the villagers about the impending threat.

"Sir, may I ask you something important?" he politely asked.

"No," the addressee answered and walked away.

"Wow, impressive," Sali sarcastically commented on Kukuh's didactic skills

"If you think you can do a better job, go ahead and impress us," Sen challenged. Sali stood up, strutted down the road and addressed a woman who was sweeping the floor in front of her house.

"Miss, I guess you didn't know that there are armies headed this way?" she asked, acting like she was completely terrified.

"No and I don't care as long as they don't make a mess in front of my house like those filthy beggars," she replied, walking into her house and slamming the door shut. Her accomplishment was met with slow, cynical applause from Sen's side.

"Great job," he commented, looking at Kukuh, who failed to address another villager. They kept trying for ten minutes, but each attempt was met with ignorance.

They sat down near a pond in the town's garden; it wasn't that big, merely containing three trees, a shallow pond with a few fish in it, and a few perches with white dragon bushes.

"I don't understand…" Kukuh muttered downheartedly, "the people here don't seem to care about the danger that is coming their way. It's like they just ignore it…"

"That's not entirely true," Sen claimed, "there must be someone in this town who is concerned about the war, otherwise there wouldn't be guards stationed near the gate."

"So what… one person doesn't change much," Sali commented.

"If he is powerful enough to assign guards to the gate…"

"He has enough influence to convince the people here to leave!" Kukuh exclaimed, jumping onto his feet. "So now we only need to find that person and convince him to convince them," he pointed all around him, "to leave for safer places." Sen nodded, Kukuh had phrased what he was thinking. "You're a genius Sen!"

"Yeah, well, I don't like to brag about it…"

"Well genius," Sali retorted, "where precisely do we find this person?"

"Uh… oh."

"Exactly…"

* * *

"I want that pier set up within an hour!" Manak yelled across the small beach situated between the cliff sides of the Earth Kingdom's southern coast. "And make sure the command post has been set up!" He paced towards the slope that led to the top of the cliffs, from which, in the far distance, he could still see the smoke coming from the place that once was Hia-Pao, the village itself he could not see, only the smoke. Manak wasn't happy, the initial plan had failed, they didn't capture the Avatar. All his work, the year he spent infiltrating on Earth Kingdom soil had lost its purpose. All that he could do now was to secure the foothold and expand rapidly into Earth Kingdom territory.

"_He won't be pleased…"_

On top of the cliff, overlooking the beach and the South Sea for as far as they eye could see. He could see a single dot appear on the horizon, a ship, Manak knew. Not just any ship, the flagship of the Southern First Fleet, accompanying the chief of the Southern Water Tribe, the man he had to bring the bad news. The dot increased in size while more dots appeared on the horizon. Adok would land here with the First and Third Fleet, admiral Qanaq would land near Gaoling with the Second and Fifth Fleet and finally would the Fourth Fleet land to the east of Manak's position. The Sixth and Seventh Fleet would sail off tomorrow evening, but only Adok and the admirals in charge knew the destination. This bothered Manak, if he'd delivered Adok the Avatar, he would have been promoted to the rank of admiral.

"_I mean, it would be the proper way to thank me…"_

Manak made sure the chief's tent was set up properly before he went back to the beach where he oversaw the construction of a field kitchen. Time went by fast, it had been an hour since he had seen Adok's ship approaching, so fast that Manak hadn't realized Adok's ship was now nearing the newly constructed pier. Lucky for him, the engineers had finished it right in time. The ship, incredibly sized, docked at the makeshift pier, casting a shadow over the entire length of the pier. Sailors bridged the gap, in both height and length, between the pier and ship with a gangway, after which one sailor disappeared through a door opening to inform the chief of their arrival. After a few minutes, which Manak spent in the shadow of the monstrous ship, a few soldiers walked down the gangway, accompanied by two men who blew on conch shaped horns. A new group of soldiers followed, but this time, Adok was among them, walking in front of the group. He quickly walked the gangway, pacing past Manak, who followed immediately. Adok stared sternly ahead, avoiding any sort of eye contact.

"Lead me to my tent," he muttered, sounding not amused to put it lightly.

* * *

"Uff…" Kukuh sighed, falling on his back. They were back at the garden, having searched for the person in charge of Gaoling, without having made any progress whatsoever.

"Perhaps we should just give up and continue our journey," Sali suggested, but it was met by protest from Kukuh's side.

"How can I possibly save the world if I can't even save one town?" There was no reply, not that Kukuh had expected it. "I must help the people here, if need be, we will stay here longer than planned."

"Not that we have a time schedule," Sen remarked.

"It's just weird that there are no people around here who can tell us anything about this place." Kukuh had a point, the only thing they were told by the townspeople was to mind their own business.

"That's because we don't like people interfering with our lives," a tramp commented, walking past the group of three. They didn't notice it at first, but when they realized someone had actually talked to them, they jumped up and looked for the man. They found him on a corner, sitting back against the wall, begging for money.

"Hey you," Sen poked the man, "can you tell us who put those guards near the gates?" The beggar looked at him as if he had no clue what Sen was talking about, but Kukuh could feel the man knew. He wouldn't be much older than twenty-five, the beggar.

"_Must have been an orphan,"_ Kukuh reasoned, _"orphans usually end up on the streets as beggars, or worse…"_

The man made a sorry impression, his clothes were shaggy, his hair long and filthy and his face…

"_If it weren't for his unclean look, he would probably have looked handsome…"_

The beggar scratched his head, skin flakes got stuck under his black finger nails.

"Perhaps I know," he said, "for the right price I might tell you…" He held up his hand, expecting the children to give him at least something.

"Never mind then," Kukuh said, "we haven't got anything."

"That's a shame," the beggar said, "oh well, too bad for you." The group turned around, scuffing back to where they came from. The beggar groaned, sighing dramatically, after which he stood up and followed the children to the garden.

"Wait up!" he yelled, effectively getting their attention. "What if," he suggested, "you help me with something and I help you in return."

"Whatever," Sali muttered, walking away. Sen and Kukuh waited for what the beggar had to say.

"Listen," he said, "there is this girl…"

"_Uh-oh, this is going to be a challenge…"_

"She's the most beautiful, kind and…"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, she's a dream, just tell us who it is," Sen interrupted.

"Her name is Ai, Ai Fong, eldest daughter of Yao Fong."

"So, why do you need our help to…?"

"Her father is the richest man in town," the beggar explained.

"_Of course the beggar had to fall in love with a rich girl…"_

"He doesn't allow me to see her."

"No wonder, do you know what you look like?" Sali scoffed.

"I didn't use to be like this you know," the beggar replied, "I used to be a respectable man, not extremely rich, but not poor either. I asked for Ai's hand in marriage, but Yao said I was only allowed to marry Ai, if I could afford the wedding. So, I sold everything I owned so I could pay for the wedding…"

"Why would you sell everything you own, a wedding is not that expensive?" Sen asked, doubting the truth of the man's story.

"Your idea of a proper wedding is not Yao's idea of a proper wedding," the beggar answered, "but anyway," he continued his story, "On my way to the Fong estate, a few thugs robbed me, taking away all of my money. After that, Yao disallowed me to ever see his daughter again."

"But why didn't you just tell Ai what happened, if she'd truly loved you, she would have married you, even though her father would forbid it," Sali wondered.

"I saw Ai for the last time before I left to sell my belongings, after that, her father made sure I never got to speak to her."

"That sucks," Sen remarked, Kukuh agreed.

"Tell us where we can find Ai and we'll tell her everything," he promised, adding, "but I can't promise you that she waited for you to come back."

"I know," the beggar replied, "but telling her would suffice. She still lives with her parents in an estate at the edge of the town," he pointed to the north east, "on a large plateau against the mountainside."

"One last thing," Kukuh said, turning around after taking a few steps in the pointed direction, "we don't know your name."

"It's Xen."

* * *

The tension was palpable, Adok had been staring at Manak for the past five minutes in complete silence, uninterrupted by blinks. The chief hadn't said a thing since he had commanded Manak to lead him to his tent. In that tent's warmth, lit by a small fire in its center, the chief stared at the captain. It was a huge tent, therefore it was safe enough to light a fire inside, purplish blue in color, furnished in water tribe style. The ground was covered with fur rugs, a few masks hang from the tent's supports.

"I'm not amused, Manak," he finally spoke, slowly, gravely. "I thought you were good at what you do, but it seems a young boy was able to outsmart you." That comment hit Manak at a sore spot, it undermined his ego, his pride. "Now," he leaned forward towards Manak, pressing his finger on Manak's chest, "you will bring him to me," he sat back again, "or you will face dire consequences." He moved his fingers through his grey hair, scratching the back of his head. "I guess you think I'm being unreasonable, but…" he sighed, "I gave you a lot of time to spend with your daughter, but you had to be prepared to be your best when the invasion would take place. That's what we agreed on, yet you failed to deliver when you had to." Manak bowed his head, ashamed, knowing chief Adok was right. "Now the only person who could give the Earth Kingdom a chance of winning this war is out there, free to learn the other elements. This means I'll have to make some adjustments in our plan of action." Manak hadn't said a word up to that point, not that Adok was giving him a chance to say anything, the chief rambled on for a few more minutes, devising a new strategy out loud. Eventually, the old chief looked up, noticing Manak was still there. "What are you still doing here? I thought I had told you to get the Avatar."

"You did sir, but I thought…"

"Don't think, bring him to me and don't return to my camp before you've got him," the chief barked. Manak stood up immediately, bowing one more time to the chief. "Get out!" the chief yelled, mumbling after the captain had left: "I've got no time for pleasantries… I've got a war to win."

* * *

_"Well, that wasn't so bad after all,"_ Manak told himself, hoping it'd make him feel better. _"He could have killed me if he wanted to, but it seems I'm still his best hope of catching the Avatar." _It could be seen as a compliment, of course, that even though he got outsmarted by a child, although that child had been lucky, he was still the best candidate out of all other tribesmen. Now it was of the utmost importance to uphold his now fragile position as the chief's favorite. He walked to the newly built kennel, already planning what to do. _"First go to the village, to see if the kid was stupid enough to go back,"_ he thought, opening the door to his polar dog's shelter.

"Hello boy," he said, waking his polar dog up. The animal looked at him, angry at first for waking him, but as the animal realized his owner was there to get him, the dog wagged his tail enthusiastically, jumping around. Manak had called his dog Shredder, which was uncommon since most dogs were given southern names. After readying his dog, he mounted him, speeding out of the encampment, towards what remained of Hia-Pao. His dog was a lot faster than the raft he used to move around so many years ago, at the time he infiltrated the prisons of Omashu to find out who the Avatar was. At first, it looked like his plans had failed, since he only knew that the Avatar had been found when he left the palace, but he knew not who it was. Luckily, a loosely-lipped shopkeeper told him everything he needed to know, just before he left the city. Now, the search was easier than thirteen years ago. Thirteen years ago, he only knew the Avatar was born in the Earth Kingdom, but now he knew his name, his place of birth –even though that wouldn't matter much– and most importantly, he knew what the Avatar looked like, having seen a glimpse of him when he ambushed his escort. He rode through the stretching farmlands, forest were closing in on him and at the horizon, he could see the cliffs towering over the trees. He didn't expect to find anything there, but at least it was a start. He dismounted in front of one of the passages, two of the were sealed, but the third, he knew, was only blocked by rubble, rubble he could climb over. The smell of rotting flesh penetrated the air around the passage, there were bodies buried beneath the rubble, but no one had bothered to dig them out to give them a proper funeral. Manak jumped down, walked down the path that led to the former village square. Now, it was clearing in between the smoking ashes of what used to be houses. Like Manak thought, the Avatar was nowhere to be seen. Manak's thoughts went back to the time he ambushed the Avatar and his escort. There was just something about their armor, like he had seen it before, then it hit him.

"_Omashu!"_ He was quite sure of it, those soldiers donned the same armor as the guard he killed when escaping the prison in Omashu. _"So if he is going to Omashu, his first stop would be… Gaoling."_

* * *

The Fong estate was quite the landmark, situated in between two small mountain streams, it was a villa, walled off from the outside world by a wall twice the length of a grown man. The estate was compromised of a multiple houses, most of them to house servants and guards, while the largest and mostly decorated of buildings housed the family itself. Ironically, the estate itself was more of a garden with housing near it than it was a house with a garden. The garden had everything, a pond with a bridge, a small shrine on a little hill and a tea house, all of that beyond a grand gate, guarded by two guards.

"Look, guards," Kukuh said, "maybe mister Fong is the person we were looking for."

"I don't think so," Sen dismissed what Kukuh had said earlier, "they look different." The guards wore dark green and white robes, leather bracers, dark green greaves and no boots, like normal soldiers, they wore a conical helmet, whereas the guards near the gate of Gaoling wore armor in another shade of green, namely leaf green. The stood in front of the massive gate, above the gate Kukuh saw an engraving of a boar.

"_This family sure looks rich."_

"Sir," he addressed one of the guards, who looked down on him, "I've come for a meeting with Yao Fong."

The guard arched his eyebrow, asking: "Why would the honorable Yao Fong want to meet with three children?" The sun caused a the guard's conical helmet to shed a creepy shadow over his face.

"Well," Kukuh answered, quickly thinking up something to say.

"_I should have thought this through… I don't know what to say."_

"Well?" the guard repeated what Kukuh said earlier, expecting a quick answer.

Sen answered for Kukuh: "My friend here is the Avatar and he wishes to speak to mister Fong about…"

"The Avatar…" the guard repeated, sounding like he didn't believe a word of what Sen said.

"You should come up with something better, many have tried the Avatar card on mister Fong before," the other guard remarked dryly, yawning out of boredom.

"I don't know my friend, but he does seem rather serious about it. I think he isn't lying and you know I'm really good at detecting that sort of thing."

"Come on, you believe every rumor you hear and every lie I told you."

"Such as?"

"Well, for starters, I actually do date your sister and…"

"You what?!"

"Well…" The group stood around there, waiting awkwardly for the guard's argument to finish, but after it took too long for Kukuh's liking, he just wandered off. Sen and Sali followed him, the guards bickered on until the three were around the corner.

"Works every time," one of the guards said to the other, leaving both of them chuckling.

* * *

"So, that didn't work," Sali concluded when they walked around the corner. They were walking along the wall that separated the estate's garden from nature around them.

"Still, we can't just give up," Kukuh said, grabbing Sali and Sen's wrist, before sending the three of them flying over the wall. Their landing was all but soft, they fell down on the paved path crossing through the entirety of the garden.

"Could you please warn us the next time you're going to do that?" Sen whined.

"Or let us land on something soft, like those bushes over there," Sali pointed at the green-leafed, well-maintained topiaries.

"Shh," Kukuh hushed, "there's no need to alert the guards now that we're sneaking in."

"Right," the two whispered in unison, nodding at the same time. They sneaked towards the pond, hiding behind a tree and some bushes as a few guards passed by.

"They've got a lot of guards…" Sen noted. The three sneaked out of the garden, moving swiftly past the many small houses, towards the main building. They stood before the door, unsure what to do.

"Now what?" Sali asked.

"Hey, you three!" they heard someone shout from behind. "I thought we had sent you away!" It was the guard who had been skeptic about their intentions, together with his fellow guard.

"_They must have been relieved from duty by those to guards we saw earlier…"_

Before anyone could react, the two guards had caught both Sen and Sali, who were standing closer to the guards when they were discovered.

"Don't move you," one of them hissed at Kukuh, "or I might hurt one of your friends." The other guard called for help, a few more guards came out of one of the smaller houses, assisting their colleagues.

"What should we do with them?"

"That's not our job to decide, mister Fong will decide for himself." A guard opened the doors to the Fong mansion, with the rest escorting the three intruders. One guard ran ahead to inform the estate's owner what had happened. After waiting in a spacious hall for some time, the door to the living room was opened.

The living room itself was even more spacious, more well decorated and impressive as the hall they'd just left. On an elevated wooden platform, shaped like a large couch, sat Yao Fong and his wife, Yao sat cross-legged, his wife sat on her knees. Above their heads hang another engraving, not that of a boar, but two dragons breathing fire at one another. Even if it wasn't in a way Kukuh had imagined it, he was now looking at the man he had to speak to.

"So these are the petty criminals who tried to intrude my estate?" Yao asked, rubbing his eyebrow with a finger.

"Actually we wanted to speak with you, sir," Kukuh corrected, angering the estate's owner.

"Don't speak to me when I don't ask for it!" he barked angrily, adding: "Who do you think you are to give you the right to interrupt me."

"I'm the Avatar," Kukuh answered honestly. Yao stopped his ranting immediately, staring at the boy in disbelief. Out of a sudden he started laughing loudly, joined by his guards.

"You? The Avatar? You amuse me…" he huffed, he turned serious again, observing the three in front of him with a stern gaze.

"Why would I go so far, intruding on your ground, to see you, only to tell you lies?" Kukuh asked.

"Strange as that might be, it could still be a lie for all I know."

"But for what purpose, I have nothing to gain by lying to you," Kukuh replied.

"Still, I find it hard to believe that a pipsqueak like you would be the Avatar," Yao stuck with his opinion, "although you seem to be the right age."

"And he probably is from the southern Earth Kingdom, like the Avatar," his wife added.

"But wouldn't he be a bit too young to know he's the Avatar? I always thought that was revealed on the Avatar's sixteenth birthday."

"King Batu of Omashu send soldiers to my village to inform me of my identity and take me with them to Omashu to train there. They did so early, because the Southern Water Tribe had attacked us," Kukuh explained.

"You hear that dear, the boy knows who the king of Omashu is. Most people in Gaoling don't even know the king's name; they only know we have a king, seated in Omashu," the wife said to her husband. "I think that this boy is telling the truth."

"But…"

"I'll vouch for him," she told her husband, not really giving him a choice.

"Fine… in that case, you may discuss about whatever you want to discuss with me tonight after dinner. Until then, you will be shown to your chamber, because by the looks of you three, you need a place to stay for the coming night, don't you."

"Well, we had planned to sleep on the streets at first, but we won't turn such a generous offer down," Kukuh said, bowing curtly before Yao, after which he, followed by Sali and Sen, followed one of Yao's servants to the guest room.

"This is the guest room, complete with four beds, your own bathroom and a closet full of decent clothing," the servant told the three rapidly, pacing off afterwards. They walked into the room, Sen fell face down onto one of the four soft beds, heaving a deep but content sigh. Sali opened the closet, browsing through the clothes that hang within it, gasping at the beautiful dresses she saw.

"That went better than expected," Kukuh remarked, "now we only need to find Yao's daughter and tell her about Xen."

"But first…" Sen said, his voice was muffled by the sheets in which he had pressed his face, "we enjoy this moment of relaxation."

"I'm going to take a bath," Sali declared, running towards the bathroom with a dress she picked from the closet. "Don't you dare interrupt me!" she shouted from the other room. Sen titled his head up, sporting a devious look.

"No Sen, better not antagonize her more," Kukuh said, "she already doesn't like you."

"No worries, was just messing with you," he assured.

* * *

_"Okay, we're going to do it like this. I'm going to talk to mister Yao after dinner, while you two try to talk to Ai," _Kukuh had said before dinner. They had cleaned themselves up and dressed themselves in the clothes provided by the family Fong. All of them were dressed fancier than they'd ever been. Sali for instance, who'd always dressed herself in green tunics now wore a beautiful tea green dress, with a cream colored tunic underneath. Usually, she would wear her hair loose, but a servant girl had helped her braiding her hair so now she sported a delicate hairdo, where two braids, both at the back of her head, one high and the other low, held the rest of her chestnut brown hair into a pony tail, which reached the lower parts of her scapulae and rested in the space between them. Sen wore white trousers with a dark green, nearly black, motive and a dark green tunic, decorated with the Earth Kingdom's national symbol, the earth coin and a yellow, u-neck collar. Kukuh was dressed in similar colors as his host, namely cream and gold colored robes held together by a golden belt. He wore his hair, by way of exception, in top-knot style, complemented by a golden hairpiece, also the property of the Fong family. The group had finally met Ai Fong, who was, true to Xen's words, a beauty to behold. Her only flaw, if you could see it that way, is that her left eye was paler than her right eye. When she had caught Kukuh staring at that particular eye, she had explained that she was partially blind, only able to see through her right eye. Kukuh had apologized, but Ai waved them away.

"You don't need to apologize for being curious," she smiled kindly at him, "curiosity encourages progress." They didn't talk that much at the table, the three were too busy filling their stomach with all the delicacies in front of them. That wasn't much of a surprise, they'd been eating nuts and berries ever since they'd escaped from Hia-Pao. Sen had even resorted to eating insects, saying it was his substitute for the meat he craved. Besides, for the most part of their stay, Yao had been ignoring them and miss Fong wasn't the most talkative person of the family either, only Ai said something from time to time. After finishing desert, the women, accompanied by Sen, left the room, leaving Kukuh and Yao at the table. Servants were already cleaning up, brining plates to the kitchen and sweeping both the table and floor clean. Yao rose from his chair, gesturing at Kukuh to do the same and follow him to outside. They walked through the garden, none of the two spoke, to the tea house, where servants had readied a steaming pot of jasmine tea .

"Please, sit down," Yao said, waiting for his guest to do so before sitting down himself. With one hand, he grabbed his sleeve so that he could pour the tea without knocking anything down. "Drink," he said, nodding at the filled cups in front of them. Both of them took a careful sip from the hot drink, putting it down simultaneously. "For a commoner, you're quite civilized," Yao remarked.

"I don't have a clue what I'm doing," Kukuh confessed, to which the man responded by chuckling.

"You said earlier this day that you had to speak to me about an important matter," Yao looked at Kukuh, taking another careful sip from his tea, "what would it be?"

"When I arrived in Gaoling today, I wanted to warn everyone in town of the danger headed this way," Kukuh started telling, "A few days ago, warriors from the Southern Water Tribe landed on the beaches to the south and attacked my village, hoping to capture me. I wasn't there, so they killed many villagers and burned the village itself to the ground." Yao listened intently, his expression turned from expectant to sorrowful. "It will only be a matter of time before they reach Gaoling and I fear that this town will suffer the same fate as Hia-Pao."

"I see…"

"We saw a few soldiers stationed at the town's southern gate, so we thought there was at least one person in Gaoling who was concerned about the situation."

"And you thought it was me?" Yao asked.

"Maybe, or at least you would know who did it, being the richest man of the village and probably one of its most respected citizens," Kukuh explained.

"I must disappoint you, it was not me, nor was it someone I know personally," the man said apologetically, "All I know is that king Batu ordered those soldiers to stand guard there."

"I was afraid that would be the case," Kukuh sighed, he thought how he could phrase the question he wanted to ask in the best possible way. Yao encouraged him to just speak his mind. "I wanted to ask you if you could use your influence to persuade the townspeople into fleeing to safer lands," Kukuh said, anxiously awaiting Yao's response; if Yao would help him, it would be his first major accomplishment as the Avatar.

"I'm afraid I will have to disappoint you, Avatar Kukuh," Yao said, finishing his tea. "You see, like the rest of the townspeople, I don't plan on leaving either. Besides, even if I were willing to advise people to leave the town, the mayor would probably stop me in order to keep the unity in our town intact. Gaoling is our home, it has been for many generations. Once our enemy shows up at our doorsteps, we will surrender peacefully so that no harm will come to our beautiful village."

"But what if they won't accept your surrender?"

"Then we will die defending our village," his answer melodramatic but harsh at the same time. "You see," he explained, "we wouldn't be able to digest the idea of our town, our home, being destroyed with us still being alive." Yao paused for a moment, before he summarized what he had said: "Either we live under our oppressor in peace, or we will die protecting that what we love."

"I understand," Kukuh said.

"Good, now, if you'll excuse me, I will retire to my quarters." Yao stood up and walked back to his mansion, servants quickly cleaned everything up and left as well, leaving Kukuh alone in the empty tea house. It gave Kukuh time to think.

"_I can't help the citizens of Gaoling, because they don't need it… and I don't require Xen's information since it is of no use to me, but I can still help him with his problem. I won't leave Gaoling until those two are reunited… but how am I going to convince her father, provided that Ai wants to see Xen again…"_

"Hey," Sali startled him, although he could refrain from showing it, "what are you thinking about?"

"All sorts of things…" he vaguely answered. Sali sat down, comfortably resting her back against one of the tea house's pillars.

"Such as?"

"How hard it is to be the Avatar…" he replied, quickly adding: "amongst other things," he sighed loudly. "Since they told me I was the Avatar I haven't really been doing what I should. I should have defended Hia-Pao, which I didn't. I should protect the people from Gaoling, which I can't and I haven't made much progress helping a beggar to get his girl."

"Speaking of that beggar, I talked with Ai."

"Well? What did she say?" Kukuh asked, eager to know.

"She was surprised to say the least, she thought Xen had met someone else and left her. She never had the slightest clue he had been in Gaoling for the past years."

"Does she want to meet him again?"

"She would love to, but the problem is that her father won't let her, but I think I have a solution to that problem."

"What is it?"

"You'll see," Sali teased, sticking out her pink tongue, which contrasted with her deep bronze skin tone. She ran off, back to the mansion, Kukuh followed, but walked. He entered their room, Sen was already sleeping, Sali was readying herself to go to bed as well, occupying the bathroom. Kukuh didn't feel like waiting, falling back on his bed, he fell into a deep sleep not much later.

* * *

"Breathe in… and out," Tseten told himself repeatedly, meditating on Tenang peak. He was finally able to let go of his anger, even though anxiety now filled his heart. He worried about the situation in the Earth Kingdom, the Southern Water Tribe didn't go on a holiday trip with the entirety of their fleet, which seemed out of proportion to Tseten.

"_But what do I know about armies and fleets, we don't have any."_

Far at the horizon, more ships started to show up.

"_They have more? I doubt the Earth Kingdom coast will be able to dock them all."_

He closed his eyes, he couldn't concern himself with the conflicts of other nations when he still had to deal with a conflict within himself. For some time, he was able to concentrate, but eventually, the sound of ores hitting the water distracting him. It took him some time to realize, until it hit him like a stone cracking his skull. The galleys weren't coursing for the Earth Kingdom, they were turning towards the Southern Air Temple.

"_But why?"_ Tseten wondered, the realization had him pinned to the ground. _"I got to warn the council!" _Tseten jumped up, spun around till his back faced the ocean and thrust himself forward, using air bended gusts of wind to propel himself from slope to slope, until he reached the place where he'd left his air bison.

"Aya, yip-yip," Tseten yelled from afar. The bison took off, Tseten thrust his hands downward, channeling wind towards the ground. It was enough to throw him towards the flying mammal and he landed safely on its head. He took the reins, sending the bison in a sharp curve past a few mountains. "Come on Aya, we need to warn the council, yip-yip," he said to the beast, making her fly faster.

"_It'll take me three days to get to the Southern Air Temple, the ships will take about twice or thrice the amount of time, so that will give us enough days to prepare for their arrival," _Tseten calculated. _"That's enough time to flee, or to make sure the temple is inaccessible for the warriors on board of those ships."_ He looked behind him, in the far distance, the fleet moved forward, ever in the direction he was flying.

"_The world is falling out of balance… if only Kalak were still alive, he could have prevented this."_ His thoughts went out to the new Avatar, who's fate was uncertain. _"Adok must have known his location, otherwise he wouldn't strike out against the Earth Kingdom without support from his sister tribes. I hope the Avatar is safe…"_

* * *

Sali woke Kukuh up, early in the morning. She had dressed herself already and looked like she was ready to leave. She told him what her plan was, repeated it another time, before she quietly snuck out of the room. Sen was still asleep and Kukuh felt a bit lazy, so he turned around and snoozed for some time. Light shone through the opened windows –the windows were always opened, since the mansion was walled off from the outside world and all its noise– onto Kukuh's face. He sat up, made some munching sounds and stretched his arms. Yawning loudly, still with his arms stretched above his head, he walked to the closet to pick his clothes for the day. Mister Yao had allowed them to pick some clothes they wanted to take with them for the remainder of their journey. He had said he'd be honored to contribute some of his possessions to the Avatar for the better cause. Kukuh undressed, stepping into the large bath, it was more like a small swimming pool, which was being refilled continuously. The water from the estate's baths were drained into one of the mountain streams flowing near the estate, while the other mountain stream provided the water to fill the baths. Servants had to keep a fire running underneath each bath, which they started it early in the morning and extinguished it at night. The heat was relaxing, his thoughts drifted off, he repeated Sali's plan in his mind. His moment of peace was disrupted by Sen, who jumped into the large bath, splashing a huge amount of water into Kukuh's face.

"Good morning," he groaned.

"Good morning," Sen responded, being in an exceptionally good mood. That didn't surprise Kukuh much, since Sen had slept long that night, it would have surprised him more if Sen had been cranky.

"I saw Sali has left already," Sen said, "she's probably giving Xen his much needed makeover by now."

"She told you her plan?"

"What?!" he shouted indignantly, "she said it was her idea?"

"She told me she had planned to give Xen a makeover and I had to tell…"

"That was my idea!" Sen exclaimed, but Kukuh didn't seem to care.

"Funny, isn't it?" Kukuh asked, elaborating on what he found to be ironic: "A few days ago, I didn't like you, or your presence and now we're here in Gaoling, together in this luxurious, huge bath."

"It's more like a pool, if you ask me," Sen pointed out, "but yeah. So strange to be in the same room with someone you've bullied for quite some time," that was something which Sen had already apologized for –Kukuh had forgiven him. "Naked…" he added awkwardly.

"Not that strange if you're bathing," Kukuh responded, "how else do you expect someone to bathe, whilst still wearing clothing?"

"Nah," Sen laughed, "that actually sounds pretty dumb." He jokingly added: "Since you're absolutely okay with that part, I could ask Sali to join us next time."

"How about you not doing that?" Kukuh scowled.

"Well, you're the boss. But I'd rather bathe with women than with men," Sen teased.

"In that case I suggest you leave," Kukuh replied, trying to enjoy the subsequent silence. It was only a matter of time before the silence was broken again by Sen.

"Meh… I think I'll stay for…"

"You're just doing this to annoy me, aren't you?"

"On the contrary, I bathe to get clean, not to annoy people."

"I'll take that as a yes…"

* * *

Kukuh and Sen sat before Yao Fong and his wife, who were seated on the same wooden throne-like piece of furniture as the day before. Ai stood in the middle of the four, addressing her parents. As per Sali's plan, which actually belonged to Sen, Ai would try to get her father's permission to see Xen. So far, Yao Fong didn't look like he was willing to let Ai go.

"No, I will not let you see that peasant," he boomed through the room. "You should know your place, you will marry someone of worthy stature."

"Mister Yao," Kukuh interrupted, picking up on Yao's statement, "would the last living heir to a noble house count as worthy in your perception?"

"Of course it would," Yao answered. Narrowing his eyes he asked: "You're not telling me that scalawag is of noble blood, are you?"

"In fact, he is the heir of what used to be one of the most respectable houses of the Hu-Xin provinces, but his late uncle gave all his possessions to a man with many children, who struggled to feed his children every day," Kukuh improvised. He had added an entire story to the idea Sen came up with, which he explained to the estate's owner. "The person, who you just called a scalawag, is the heir of a man who's name echoes throughout Taku as the example of selflessness and is honored there for his doings."

"_He seems to be impressed, he might actually buy this," _Kukuh thought.

"I think that'd make him pretty worthy of your daughter's hand… besides, she loves him and he loves her, isn't that the most important thing?" All eyes were aimed at Yao, waiting for his judgment.

"_Or not…?"_

"Yes, that would make him worthy, but I wonder why the good man never told me about his heritage," Yao said, doubting the truth of Kukuh's story.

"Mister Fong…" Kukuh replied, sounding as stern as he could, "would you doubt the word of an Avatar?" It worked, Yao was startled by Kukuh's sudden change of character.

"O-of c-course not," he stammered.

"Great!" Kukuh exclaimed cheerfully, "He's anticipating Ai to visit him today at the garden in Gaoling."

"Father, please let me see him," Ai begged again, trying to profit from her father's confusion.

"Ah, I-I-I… ah… I…"

"Just go," miss Fong said to her daughter, smiling kindly. "But a guard will escort you to the garden, alright?"

"Yes mom!" she exclaimed happily. She jumped up and paced past Kukuh and Sen –the latter whispered at her to tell everything Kukuh had said to Xen, in case Yao would start to ask questions to see if the story matched. "Don't worry, I will," she whispered back at him. She ran through the garden and commanded a guard to follow her, who had trouble keeping up with her.

"You two should pack your things," miss Fong said to the two boys who were still sitting in front of Ai's parents, both with smug expressions on their faces.

"Yes, we still have a long journey ahead of us," Kukuh said, "and staying here isn't the safest thing to do with the enemies so close to this place." The two stood up, Sen walked towards the guest room, Kukuh followed, turning towards the middle aged man and woman to ask a final thing.

"Are you sure about staying here, waiting for the southern armies?"

"We are," miss Fong answered. "Nothing you could say is going to change our minds, so don't waste your time and start packing," she added, shooing the Avatar away.

* * *

Sali returned fifteen minutes later, Sen and Kukuh had finished packing most of their stuff, Sali had already done it early in the morning before she left the estate to give Xen a makeover.

"I noticed my great plan has worked," she boasted.

"Yeah, good job thinking it up all by yourself," Sen retorted sarcastically.

"Whatever."

"Did you see them meet?" Kukuh asked Sali, she nodded in response.

"First I gave him a much needed makeover. I forced him to wash himself in the mountain stream and dress himself in some clothes I took from our closet, then I cut his hair and nails. I told him to spend all the money he had earned by begging on a nice meal, which didn't really work as he was still very thin…"

"You know you don't get fat after…"

"Shut up, let me finish," she hissed at Sen, continuing to tell what she had seen, "After that, I brought him to the garden and told him to wait there. After an hour of waiting, just as I was thinking the two of you had failed to convince mister Fong, Ai came running down the street. She barely even recognized him, because he was so thin, but he recognized her."

"And then?"

"Well, they hugged, they kissed, blah, blah, romance and all of that. Then they sat down and started to talk, that's when I left," Sali said. "And judging by how they looked," she added, "I think they're going to be alright."

"Did Ai tell about what Kukuh said to her father?" Sen inquired.

"Yeah, in fact, Xen has come up with a suitable surname and a sigil for his house."

"You're kidding…"

"Am not. He now calls himself Xen Bei."

"And his sigil?"

"Two flapping wings, but that's not all. To appease Ai's father, Xen will offer him to merge their houses and with that, their surnames and sigil when he and Ai will marry; the houses Fong and Bei will cease to excist, becoming house Beifong."

"Not a bad idea," Sen commented, "House Beifong has a pretty important sound to it, don't you think?"

"And the only thing they have to change to their sigil is to add a pair of wings to the boar," Kukuh added.

"The only thing I forgot is too ask who put the guards at the gate," Sali said.

"That's not a problem, I know already, but it won't help us. The people of Gaoling won't leave, no matter what happens. They'd rather die defending their house than to leave it. At least we could help one person here."

* * *

After saying goodbye to Yao, miss Fong, thanking them for their hospitality, and after receiving thanks from Xen and Ai, the group returned to Gaoling. With some of the money Yao gave them when they left, they bought enough provisions for the upcoming journey. They had to follow the mountains to the north-west, pass through the swamps of the Central Water Tribe and follow the long road towards Omashu from there. They were about to leave when an old man, leaning on his cane, walked up to them.

"I've heard you're the Avatar," he said, looking sad. "I heard the rumors of armies marching for Gaoling. The others might want to stay, but I don't fancy dying by someone else's hand. I just want to live my life in peace, till I die. I've heard you were travelling for Omashu and I want to come with you."

"You do?" the three asked in unison.

"I'm just a poor old man, I'd give everything I own hear up to live a few more years in the safety of Omashu's walls. I heard you were trying to get people out of here…"

"No one wanted to go," Sali interrupted.

"But if you want to leave," Kukuh finished for her, "you may come with us. The road is far too dangerous for an old man to travel alone."

"Oh thank you Avatar," the man said, crying tears of joy.

"Don't start cheering too soon," Kukuh tempered the man happiness, "it'll be tricky to get to Omashu, I've got the entire army of the Southern Water Tribe looking for me and we'll need to move fast in order to outrun them. That means we rest for only very short periods of time."

"Don't worry young lad, I might look old, which I obviously am, but I'm still as spry as I used to be years ago," he told Kukuh, the three looked at the man's cane in response. "Don't let the cane fool you, I merely use it in case I need to defend myself from thugs. I can walk without it," the man explained, showing the children that what he said was true; he even made little skips in between his steps.

"Are you ready to go now sir?" Sen asked the old man, satisfied with what the man had shown.

"I just need to take care of one thing," the man said, Sali groaned in response who was eager to leave. "Don't worry, it'll take only a few seconds. I need to tell you my name, you can hardly call me sir for the entire journey we have ahead of ourselves" he said. "The people around here call me Ol'Pong."


	7. Chapter 7: Storm in the South

7. Storm in the South

* * *

"They're here."

"So Tseten was right…"

"So it would seem."

"What will we do?"

"They won't be able to access the temple, the passages are not known to them."

"I fear that it won't be enough."

"I agree, we should proceed with our security protocol."

"Such measures haven't been taken in centuries…"

"We haven't been in this situation for centuries."

"Talking doesn't solve our problems, we must act now or suffer the consequences of inactivity."

"What is our decision, brothers?"

"I say wait and see."

"I say we act."

"I second it."

"We should act."

"In that case, since most brothers have agreed on it, we shall proceed with the security protocol."

* * *

Groups of monks and students ran down the mountain paths to the gathering grounds near the air bison shelters. The council of elders had issued an order for every monk and student to stop with what they were doing. The gathering was already filled with many monks and even more students, the past few years the air nation had experienced a population boom and all of the children born during those years needed to be trained. The younglings wore the traditional student garments, the long-sleeved yellow shirts partly covered by an orange shawl and sash covered the upper body, while the lower body was covered by leather boots and double layered pants. The lower layers, brown of color were tucked into the leather boots just below the knees. The upper layer was fully connected to the lower layer underneath the orange sash, which served as belt, and loosely to the trouser legs' ends within the leather boots. All the children, pale skin shining in the faint sunlight, had shaved their heads, as had the elder monks, who sported the distinctive tattoos, all according to Air Nomad tradition. The council of elders' members all donned pale orange robes, they wore large necklaces, some made of wood, others of simple rope and sported lengthy beards or mustaches in contrast to their bald heads. Most of the gathered didn't know why they were summoned, gatherings like this only happened when a new master was to be anointed or a new monk to be introduced after birth. The abbot of the Southern Air Temple, chairman of the council, took some time to silence the chatter around him.

"Brothers, friends," he spoke, his booming voice echoed in the deep valleys surrounding the temple, "some of you might have heard what rumors master Tseten spread over the past week and, I'm sorry to say, his words have been proven to be true. Galleys transporting warriors and all kinds of war machines have landed on the beaches near our home and they're marching for the temple as I speak." Worried mumbling rose from the gathered crowd, puzzled faces turned sorrow. Younglings looked up to their masters, anxiously, the youngest didn't understand what it all meant. Small groups of monks discussed how to react on the coming threat, the abbot let it all happen. The five council members waited patiently, even though time was running short, the approaching forces were no real incentive to hurry. To the people from the Southern Water Tribe, the precise location of the Southern Air Temple was unknown and the mountain passages leading to the temple were hard to locate. Tseten, however, wanted the council to hurry when he got to the temple, yet the council had tested his patience, not wanting to believe Tseten's words, even though they respected the former Avatar's teacher. When other monks spotted the southern fleet landing at multiple places near the temple's location, the council eventually was persuaded.

"Brothers, please," the abbot spoke again, silencing the crowd in mere seconds, "I know how all of you must feel, conflicted, I know, I feel conflicted as well. However, we must put aside our conflicted feelings in order to think clearly. Fear and confusion will only cloud our mind, calm yourself and you'll understand that what I'm going to say is the right thing to do."

After the abbot finished speaking, the gathered monks dispersed, pacing to all ends of the temple. Eventually, the monks were evenly divided over the temple grounds in multiple rings. The inner ring, located at the base of the temple's main tower, comprised of the council members and the eldest masters of the temple, including master Tseten. Several rings around it were made out of masters, talented students and the students who were nearing mastery, the outer rings included a few monks and the youngest students.

"I still think this is wrong," one of the council members said as the abbot started bending the air around him in a small, but increasing, circle.

"No harm will come to our enemies or us if we do it this way," Tseten replied, who, like the other council members started to aid the abbot, making the air current increase in size even more.

"That may be so, but think of what we are causing to happen elsewhere on this world. The air we are using is drawn from the area around us. If we continue with this plan, we will cause storms all around the southern hemisphere!" No one reacted to the protesting monk, ring after ring of air benders mirrored the abbots motions. The wind was moving fast around the temple like a gigantic tornado, which kept increasing in size. After minutes of intense effort, the abbot finally commanded, his voice, powered through his air bending could be heard everywhere on the temple grounds, to push northwards, which every monk did. It resulted in a strong wave of wind moving to the north, where the southerners had landed.

On impact, warriors were thrown into the sea, unharmed, but the ships and all the instruments of war stationed at the coast were utterly destroyed. Water benders were immediately occupied with rescuing their companions who couldn't bend and salvaging whatever remained of the fleet. The few remaining intact ships had to transport every single warrior to safety. The Southern Air Temple remained unbothered for months to come, the monks now feared for the fates of the brothers and sisters at the other temples. Messengers were sent out, which all brought back an identical message. The other temples hadn't been assaulted, nor had any soldier shown himself near the sacred places. For the moment, the Air Nomads were safe. The monks' actions had, as was foreseen by one of them, consequences for the rest of the southern hemisphere. Due to the sudden change in the wind currents, storms raged over large parts of the South Pole and the southern Earth Kingdom, some were mild, others were strong and the outcomes were always different from one another.

* * *

Gaofang was a small hamlet about a quarter day's journey to the west from Gaoling, a quiet place with a population of about fifty people. Gaofang was more similar to Hia-Pao in terms of architecture. The houses were small and made of wood, all of them were built along a central dirt road in between the trees of the surrounding forest. The people of Gaofang lived from the hunt, parties would scour the forests in the area in search for game meat, hides or furs to sell in Gaoling. Gaofang was known for its high quality leather, the people specialized in processing it, manufactured by the greatest of tanners and leatherworkers. The hamlet hosted a small inn, the place where Kukuh, Sali, Sen and Ol'Pong had stayed for the night, the Green Fir Inn. Its owner had welcomed the group hospitabily, knowing Sen's father, and offered them a free stay when Sen told him about Kukuh's identity. The inn itself was less welcoming, its rooms were small and damp, the floors, upon which they had to sleep, were hard and cold. The next day, they'd all woken up with aching backs, yet that didn't stop them; they prepared to leave. At the moment they left the inn, a messenger from a western coastal village arrived to inform the inhabitants of Gaofang of a landing on the west coast. The Southern Water Tribe had landed slightly north west of Gaofang and were now marching towards the hamlet in order to reach Gaoling.

"Now what do we do?" Sali asked downheartedly. The fastest way to Omashu had now become too dangerous with the southern threat along the way and travelling eastwards wasn't an option either, that meant travelling all the way to chameleon bay and through the Si Wong desert, a journey which they wouldn't survive.

"We could just try sneaking by the southern armies," Kukuh suggested, but his suggestion was quickly turned down by all the others. Trying to sneak past the southern armies was too big a risk to take, especially since the southerners seemed to be hunting for the Avatar. Taking the risk and getting caught would mean risking the life of Kukuh and the future of the entire world.

"What if we go over the mountains?" Sen prompted, pointing at the dark mountains to the north.

"That is a possibility," Ol'Pong responded. The old man had been quiet since the group heard the message, he had been thinking of what Sen had just touched upon. "There is a path over the mountains, but taking that path is dangerous as well," he paused, thinking shortly, "but I guess it's safer than our other options."

"Well, where is that path?" Kukuh asked.

"It's between Gaoling and this place. There, beyond a small gate lies a narrow path over the mountain tops. The people here call it, the Steep Path."

"Why?" Sen asked, regretting his dumb question immediately.

Sali responded, since it was towards Sen, sarcastic as always,: "Maybe because the path goes up to the mountain tops and is therefore steep?"

"Well it can hardly be called a path," Ol'Pong said, sitting down on the edge of the inn's veranda. "The first mile is a path indeed, but beyond that it is more like narrow mountain edges, climbing up against the mountain side, walking over rickety hanging bridges…" The old man stopped talking, sensing that he was discouraging his travelling companions, instead he added a positive twist. "Getting down is easy though," he smiled broadly, awkwardly trying to lift the tension.

"How bad that might sound, it still seems safer than sneaking by the armies to the west…" Sen mumbled, adding, "but it's your decision Kukuh."

"You're right Sen, sneaking past the southern armies is too dangerous and since going east isn't an option either and we can't stay here with the armies coming this way, we can only take that path," Kukuh declared, reaching out his hand towards Ol'Pong. "Come on old man," he said, "bring us past those mountains."

* * *

Kala ran through the streets of Qaanqa, the great capital of the Southern Water Tribe, back home, having witnessed the departure of the reinforcement transports towards the Earth Kingdom down at the harbor. She knew that there, her father, the esteemed captain Manak, was fighting in the war against the wicked Earth King's forces. Since her mother had died many years ago when she was still young, too young to remember her, she would have been all alone at home. However, her father had taken care of that problem, she was allowed to stay in the palace with Adok's wife, Kaya, and his youngest son, Akkik. She had to hurry, she had been warned of an incoming storm.

Akkik was nothing like his father, both in appearance and character. Adok being a slender, more solemn person, Akkik was sturdy, nearly brutish. Akkik looked like he was a person who exercised each day, his body seemed to be composed solely of muscles. Combine it with his length and one could truly say that Akkik was an imposing, if not intimidating person to meet. His appearance would make one assume that Akkik was, like his father, a strict, somewhat gruff person, but, on the contrary, Akkik was one of the kindest spirits Kala had ever met. Akkik showed compassion for all living things, helped anyone who looked like he or she needed it, even if it could get him in trouble, which, unsurprisingly often happened. This, in combination with Adok's resentful behavior towards his son, had led to a bad relation between the two. The bond with his mother, however, was strong, as if Kaya saw something in him she had lost, something she didn't see in her husband.

Kala walked by a royally furnished room, a vacant room, Anoak's room. Anoak was Adok's eldest son, the son Adok called: 'his pride', the future chief of the Southern Water Tribe. Anoak was Akkik's half-brother, a son from Adok's earlier marriage to the now deceased Kalia. Kala had wondered at first why Akkik was so much younger than his brother –they differed twenty-four years. Anoak had left for the Western Water Tribe with his wife, Nooa, to spend the Dark Days there. According to Akkik, the sun would still rise in the Western Water Tribe for that time of the year, while Qaanqa would remain covered in darkness. Before they started spending their days at the Western Water Tribe, the prince and his wife would have visited the Northern Water Tribe on the vernal equinox, as they had done ever since they were married. It gave Nooa a rare occasion to see her father, her brothers and sisters. Nooa was Ynook's daughter, the daughter of the most revered chief of the water tribes. Whereas the common folk in the other nations often know nothing of water tribe politics, they would know the name of the great Ynook. It was probably a case of prestige for Adok, to marry his son to Ynook's daughter, since it certainly didn't happen out of love. That, and the fact that Anoak has a very short temper, would conform with the omnipresent rumors about Anoak abusing his wife. If such a thing would happen to Kala, or any Southern Water Tribe girl in that matter, she would make the abuser regret his actions. Nooa, in accordance with northern culture and her status as noblewoman, did not act, but underwent it all.

Kala entered the living room, situated in the right wing of the palace, which contained all the personal quarters of the royal family and their guests. The left wing was mainly used as working space. Compared to the spacious throne room and grand halls of the palace, the living room was a lot smaller and far more cozy. Near the fireplace in the middle of the room, on the rug covered floor, sat Kaya, who had taken over Adok's duties, now that he was fighting his coveted war in the Earth Kingdom. Kaya, a forty-five year old woman, was, compared to her aged husband, a young lady. She looked up from her embroidery, disturbed by the entrance of the captain's daughter. Glancing at the teen, Kaya could see the restlessness on her face.

"Hello dear," Kaya greeted casually, "did you have a nice time at the docks?"

"I guess," Kala mumbled. Her answer was met with silence from Kaya's part, who turned to face her, observing her intensively. Kala noticed it and, since she wasn't willing to talk to the woman, ignored it, crossing the room to get to the hall leading to her bedroom.

"Why are you walking away, child? Is there something bothering you?"

"No," she growled, hearing the anger in her own voice shocked her. She recomposed herself in a split-second, apologizing neatly: "I'm sorry for my rude response milady, but I assure you, I'm fine."

"If there's something on your mind, you can better tell it to me. If you keep on to your thoughts for too long, you might drown in them and become mad," Kaya warned, her voice sounding ever so warm. _"Mad like your mother,"_ she added in her thoughts. Such things were better left unmentioned, Manak had insisted on withholding the truth about his wife's demise from his daughter. He reasoned it would be better if his daughter never knew, but what those reasons were, Kaya did not know.

"Really," Kala heaved a deep, annoyed sigh, "there's nothing wrong." She muttered some inaudible words, quickening her steps.

"Kala…"

"What!?" she snapped again, this angered her even more. Somehow, unlike many of her friends, she was easily angered. At that point, she didn't resemble her father, who, from her perspective, seemed to be able to keep his cool in every situation. Kaya smirked, she was right, something was indeed troubling the captain's daughter.

"Now that's not a reaction fitting of an untroubled teenager like yourself," Kaya chuckled, patting her hand on a rug near her, indicating Kala to sit down there. "Come on," she said, "sit." Kala did so, albeit hesitantly; her long silky black hair touched the fur upon which she sat. "I want you to say what's on your mind, and don't lie to me. Know that whatever you might say, I won't get mad about it."

"I…" Kala sighed, "I don't like my father being out there, fighting in the war, while I'm sitting here doing nothing at all."

"You want to go after your father?"

"Yes…"

"I see, so that's why you went to see each departing ship. It made you feel closer to your father, didn't it?"

"I guess so…" Kala responded, shrugging nonchalantly, trying to evade eye contact with the chief's wife. "I might even have tried to get onto one of the ships…"

"You know, that doesn't even surprise me, you've always been a rebellious girl," Kaya responded coolly, she didn't get mad though. The howling sound of the wind could be heard due to the silence that followed, coming through the hole above the fire pit. The growing noise it caused indicated the storm had arrived over Qaanqa and was intensifying every minute. It was better to be inside for the moment, one would freeze to death outside. Kaya stared intently at the young girl next to her, sighing dramatically. "Well… seeing you'd be happier around your father…" Kaya observed Kala's almost unnoticeable reaction, confirming what she had been thinking, Kala missed her father. It didn't surprise her, Manak was the only parent Kala had known. He'd always been home to raise the girl, but now that he was needed in the war, he'd be gone for a long time. "I think you should listen to what your feeling tell you. If you feel like you should follow your father to the Earth Kingdom, you shouldn't stay here and whither in anger and loneliness." Kala seemed to brighten up. "You're far too beautiful to fade away like that."

"Do you mean I just can go?"

"Not just like that, of course, there is a simple catch," Kaya said in effort to dampen Kala's enthusiasm. It worked, if only slightly, at least she had Kala's attention again. "You will be escorted to the main field headquarters by Akkik and his personal guard to deliver my latest reports to my loving husband," she said, adding solemnly, "your chief."

"That's all?"

"Indeed, and since you're wondering why you must do this… I personally do not know your father's whereabouts, but I bet your chief does know and since the reports I need to send to the chief contain some top secret details, I can only trust Akkik to deliver them," Kaya explained, Kala simply nodded.

"I can't really complain," Kala chuckled, "I'm just happy I'll see my father sooner than expected."

"Good, now catch some sleep. You'll leave once the storm has cleared."

Kala sped towards her quarters, leaving the chief's wife at the fire. She shook her head nostalgically, thinking back how she used to be when she was young and still untroubled by the affairs of the tribe. The time before she married the already old Adok, the man who killed her lover out of jealousy. She couldn't see him for weeks after she'd found out what her husband had done, but the responsibility of being the chief's wife eventually forced her to face him. That hadn't been pretty, but all of that was far behind her now. Now her mind was totally set on making sure the tribe was faring well in her husband's absence. She worked through the storm, until the skies had finally cleared and the noise had turned into tranquility.

* * *

Being an hour underway, Kukuh, Sali and Ol'Pong walked up front chatting lively about various subjects, one of them being the bending art. Sali revealed to the old man, what the Kukuh and Sen already knew, she was a water bender. When Sali had told Sen, not long after she, lady Fa and Kukuh had rescued him from the soldiers that had taken him captive. Sen was amazed that she had been able to hide it from all the villagers for so long, but Sali couldn't care less about how Sen thought. The boy walked on his own, a few feet behind his three companions, not having said much since they'd left Gaofang. Kukuh noticed and left Ol'Pong and Sali's side, falling back to Sen's side.

"You've been awfully quiet Sen," he said, opening the conversation between the two, "is something bothering you? Normally you're a lot more talkative."

"Well…" Sen sighed, "it doesn't really bother me, but I just wonder what happened to Ling."

"What do you mean?"

"When you left Hia-Pao, and when it got invaded, I was next to Ling for the entire time. After we were told to flee by the captain that sent you away, we heard that the chief had been killed," Sen explained. Hearing the chief had been killed in the invasion shocked Kukuh, he hadn't known. Sen had told most people had fled for refugee camps, he had expected the chief to be amongst them.

"That must have been horrible for Ling to hear…"

"Yeah, some part of him died with his father there," Sen commented sadly, "after he heard, he became like a ghost, he didn't move or talk. I literally had to drag him out of the village."

"What happened afterwards?" Kukuh asked, "Ling wasn't with you when we rescued you."

"After we had escaped the village," Sen continued, "we made way for the refugee camp. I made a wrong call…" Sen sighed again, "I told Ling we should go through the forest, it would be safer, so we went through the forest. That's where we were ambushed…"

After a short silence, Kukuh, fearing the worst, asked: "What happened then?"

"We split up, I ran towards the river, I think Ling ran back towards the burial mounds. I got caught only moments after that… but I think Ling got away… I hope he got away."

Both Kukuh and Sen walked silently behind Sali and Ol'Pong after what Sen had told, until they suddenly bumped into the latter two.

"What's wrong?" Kukuh asked, coming back to his senses after a short moment of confusion.

"It seems were not the only ones on the road," Ol'Pong commented, pointing to a group of people at the horizon, walking towards them.

"And here I thought no one wanted to leave Gaoling," Kukuh said, flustered but happy nonetheless.

"_Glad to see my words had at least a little impact…"_ he thought, although his assumption –he assumed the group was from Gaoling, was proven wrong once the groups met up with each other. One of the front men told Ol'Pong that they were refugees en route for Gaofang, where there was more space to settle down. Kukuh felt inclined to warn the refugees of the coming threat from the west, but they, or at least the front men, did not heed his words. They were willing to undergo the fury of the incoming soldiers this time, all were tired of running and since Gaofang wasn't such a strategic place of any importance, they felt safe enough there. The group passed, slowly, it was a mixed company consisting of men and women, grandfathers and grandmothers, children, their animals, Ling…

"_Wait, what? Ling?!"_

Sen noticed to and in a surge of relief and uncontrollable happiness to see his best friend, he lunged at the bewildered fatherless boy, crying out: "Ling! I can't believe we'd see you again!" Sen crashed into Ling, who fell to the ground, taking Sen down with him.

Utterly confused, not only because of the fall, but also because out of the blue, having seen Sen for the last time when Hia-Pao was invaded, he encountered him on the road to Gaofang, he yelped out: "Sen what the…?!" He looked around, noticing Kukuh and Sali, which confused him even more. "What are you doing here?" he asked, adding condescendingly, "with them…"

"Well, they kind of saved my life, so…" Sen responded, nearly sounding apologetically, "I decided to go to Omashu with them." He scoffed: "Someone needs to protect the Avatar now soldiers have failed to do so."

"You know, we can hear you…"

"I'm aware of that Sali," Sen responded teasingly, which wasn't received that well by Sali, who trembled a little out of anger.

"But what are you doing here, Ling? I thought you'd went to the refugee camp."

"Well, like you, I changed my mind. I got back to the burial mounds, but all soldiers were gone and the passages were closed, so I decided to go to Gaoling and see where to go from there." He blurted it out so fast, he was left breathless. He gasped for air, only to continue his story: "So when I got to Gaoling, I slept on the streets for about three days, I met up with a few people who were refugees from another village. They were going to Gaofang, saying it was a nice and quiet place. I wanted that peace and quiet, so I thought Gaofang would be a good place for me to stay as well."

"You slept on the street?" Sen asked, quirking an eyebrow, seemingly ignoring the rest of what Ling had said.

"You guys didn't?"

"Well…"

"Uh…"

"Sort of?" Sen, Sali and Kukuh responded awkwardly.

"_Better not tell him about our stay at the Fong estate…"_

"So you guys are going to Omashu?" Ling asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah," Sen replied immediately, "you should come with us."

"Uh…" Kukuh and Sali added, "yeah… you should…"

"It'll be just great…!" Sali muttered sarcastically.

"Nah, too much action for my taste, I think I'll just lead a simple quiet life in Gaofang," Ling said. He shoved Sen away, standing up so he could be on his way.

"Ling, stop, let me tell you something," Kukuh called out, jumping in front of his former bully. "If you want peace, I can guarantee you, you won't find it at Gaofang. I don't really like you, how you've been to me in the past, but you deserve to know what awaits you in Gaofang's direction," he told Ling, never having sound more serious. It was enough to stop Ling, it made him listen. "There are troops approaching from the west, they're going for Gaoling and I'm absolutely certain of it that they will pass through Gaofang. Now if you go to Gaofang," Kukuh warned, "I'm sure you'll find only death."

"You're saying that all these people," Ling pointed at the company he had been travelling with, "are walking to their death."

"Yes, but…"

"How can you let them?! You're the Avatar, you should…"

"He warned them as well," Sen interrupted, actually supporting Kukuh in front of his friend, "but they will go anyway."

"Fine… but if I would even want to go to Omashu with you guys, how would you get there? The way to Omashu is to the west as well, so you can't really get to Omashu," Ling objected.

"Well," Sen responded, smiling ear to ear, "our solution is something which you will really like."

"How so?"

"We," Ol'Pong interjected, "will take the route through the mountains. We'll avoid the enemies that way, so if we travel in a fast and steady pace, we should get to Omashu without any problems."

Sen smiled triumphantly, adding persuasively: "Once you get to Omashu you can have some real peace."

Ling felt conflicted, Kukuh could see it, he added: "You want that Ling, don't you? You shouldn't throw your life away to achieve it, there is a better way."

"I… you… you're right… I guess…" Ling admitted hesitantly.

"So you'll come with us?" Sen inquired.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll come with you," Ling answered, already regretting it.

"Great!" Sen exclaimed, running in the direction Ol'Pong had already started walking. Ling followed him, Kukuh and Sali followed last.

"Just great…" Sali sighed.

"Come on Sali, or we'll fall behind too much," Kukuh said, running after the old man and two fellow villagers dragging Sali along. He looked up to the sky, which was darkening. It looked like a storm was approaching.

* * *

"Admiral, I'm here to bring you up to speed," Qaran, a water tribe intelligence officer, said to admiral Qanaq, bowing slightly for the high ranking naval officer. Admiral Qanaq, the commander of the Second Southern Fleet, was the most decorated and respected officer in Adok's naval board and after the admiral of the First Southern Fleet and the chief himself, the highest ranking military man of the Southern Water Tribe. He was an eccentric man, preferring Fire Nation naval discipline over water tribe discipline. Most chiefs of the confederacy frowned upon this, but Adok appreciated Qanaq's results. Qanaq, a man well in his fifties, dressed in Fire Nation attire, only in the colors of his tribe, dark cerulean and midnight blue, and his graying hair done in a top-knot.

"Spill it," he commanded sternly. He sat in his tent, behind a low table filled with all kind of maps and papers. Qaran told everything he needed to tell the admiral, who was tapping impatiently on his table the entire time, it had a nerve-wracking effect.

"Finally, four regiments are marching for Gaoling, spread throughout the area. If the message chief Adok sent is correct and the Avatar has escaped Hia-Pao, we will probably catch him on his way to Omashu."

"Perfect," Qanaq commented with a raspy voice, stopping his impatient tapping with a firm smack on the table. "Capturing the Avatar would be… enough of an incentive to make me the next admiral of the First Fleet…" He continued planning new strategies, he had been doing just that before he was interrupted by Qaran. Qaran was about to leave, but Qanaq called him back. "Just before you leave Qaran, I want the Unagi peninsula conquered as soon as possible. We will need their harbors for a steady flow of resources to the front… Command the captains of the tenth and twelfth regiment to make way for the peninsula. Once they've taken it, they should send me a report at once. If they fail to take it, they should come back at once."

"_And suffer the consequences…"_ he added in his mind. Failure was not an option, not after the failure at Hia-Pao. The Avatar should have been caught there, smashing at least the king of Omashu's hope. Now that the Avatar had escaped, there was hope, hope for Omashu and the rest of the Earth Kingdom. It was of paramount importance that the Avatar were never to reach Omashu. If he would reach Omashu, he would be beyond the water tribe's reach for quite some time, enough time to grow stronger, maybe strong enough to escape and continue his training elsewhere, if Omashu were to be under siege. Besieging Omashu on its own would be quite the challenge, there in the middle of the Kolau mountain range. Water will be sparse, the heat will be a great obstacle and then there are the geographic problems. The canyon, the only passage into the city being a small path high above the canyon, the chance of rock avalanches appearing. Then there are the strong walls of Omashu and its famed soldiers.

Seeing Qaran still standing in front of him, he urged him: "Qaran, hurry, there is a storm coming and I want them sent out before it hits us."

* * *

The sky had gone dark gray, thunder could be heard from afar, flashes of lightning periodically set the sky alight. It didn't rain, not yet that is, but the wind was started to blow ever more forceful, bending numerous trees, curving their stems, sometimes breaking them. Here and there, a tree fell, most of them had already rotten, others were too young to have formed a strong core. The wind blew from the south-west to the north-east, perpendicular to the direction in which Kukuh, Sali, Sen, Ol'Pong and Ling were walking. Their destination, the Steep Path, was not far away, they had about an hour to go, but the weather was making it hard to get there. Everyone was unable to speak, opening your mouth would mean eating a leaf or two, or catching an elephant mosquito, which would mean a swollen tongue for two days. Ol'Pong tugged at Kukuh's robes, he was still wearing the robes he got at the Fong estate, pointing at the mountainside ahead once he had gotten Kukuh's attention. Kukuh squinted, seeing the entrance to a cave.

"_Waiting for the storm to pass might be best," _Kukuh thought, startled by loud thunder at the same moment. It would be too dangerous to continue walking through the forest during a thunderstorm. They made their way for the cave, stepping over fallen twigs and branches. It started to rain, only slightly, but that was just an indication of what was ahead. They started to run for the cave, gusts of wind brought them out of balance multiple times, but they eventually reached the cave and entered it without hesitation. They stayed near the entrance, they didn't have a fire yet, so heading further into the cave was made impossible due to the darkness there. Sen ran back into the forest, only to return with some firewood a mere minute later. Sali searched through her backpack, taking a few spark rocks, according to Yao Fong they came from Ba Sing Se, so they could start a fire. The flames of the small fire radiated warmth in a small area around it, engulfing the cave in its light. It seemed that it would have been futile to travel further into the cave, the cave's end could be seen only a few meters into what had been the darkness.

"Pfoo, I'm getting too old to hike during bad weather," Ol'Pong chuckled, massaging his nearly bald, tonsured head. The little hair he had, which was mostly made up of his long beard, which reached to his chest, was colored snow white. Together with his pale, wrinkled skin and warm expression, he was the example of a nice grandfather. Kukuh never knew his grandfather, or grandmother for that part, nor had his parents ever told anything about them. Lady Fa had always filled that spot for Kukuh, actually, she filled that gap for anyone who had no grandparents.

"How long do you think it will take for the storm to pass?" Sali asked.

"I can't say my dear," the old man answered, "I think we'll be here for some time."

"That's not good," Sali commented, "the longer we sit here, the more those soldiers will close in on us." Ling huffed in response to Sali's comment, she shot him an angry glare. "What?!" she inquired venomously.

"You're really as stupid as you look," Ling huffed, shaking his head sniggering softly. "They won't be able to get far as well in this storm. I mean, they will be held back as much as we are."

"Oh, you must feel so smart now," she spat at him.

"Not really, I've always known you're an idiot…"

"Stop it Ling," Kukuh interrupted angrily, "we can't have the two of you bickering all the way to Omashu."

"It's not bickering, it's telling the truth," Ling argued, taunting Sali even more. It was enough to get her to cry, which oddly, didn't satisfy Ling as much as it used to in the past. He couldn't resist make one more sneering comment, but it worked out worse than he had wanted. "Why don't you go home and cuddle your brothers and sisters. If you can't stand a few nasty words, you shouldn't be out here in the big bad world." He only realized afterwards that he had forgotten about the possibility of her family being murdered during the invasion.

Ling involving her brothers and sisters, who'd been so horribly mutilated and killed after that, tore Sali up. All her suppressed feelings, the trauma of that day, the day of the invasion, now all came flooding out. It was a mixture of intense sadness, anger and shame. She didn't want anyone to see her that way, especially Ling, since it would only make her look weaker, so she ran. She ran out of the cave, into the plunging rain. Ol'Pong shook his head, he chastised Ling, Kukuh and Sen, being in a state of shock at first, ran after Sali with the goal to get her back. Ol'Pong and Ling stayed behind, Ol'Pong continued chastising him, but he found it having no effect on the fatherless boy.

"Ling," he said, trying to get the boy's attention again. He sighed deeply, staring at the boy. He was different from Kukuh and Sen, who still had something childlike over them, he really looked like an adolescent. He already seemed to be developing some facial hair, he was more muscled than both Kukuh and Sen and his laryngeal prominence was more… prominent than it was with the other two. Ling was a pale, sturdy but tall boy, with chestnut brown hair in a top-knot, tied up with a dark green sash. His clothing was torn, unlike for example Sen, who was dressed in a brand new tunic. "I don't know what you have witnessed on the day your village was invaded, I don't know what your problem is with Sali, but I do know the five of us need each other in order to get to Omashu, I hope you understand that. You might not like Sali, or me, or Kukuh, you name it, for unknown reasons, but that doesn't mean you should make that clear the entire time. Perhaps, if you really can't see a way you might like us, you could try withhold your distaste of us long enough to get to Omashu. Or, you could try to get to know me, or Sali, or Kukuh, you know, I, or they, could surprise you."

"I never said I dislike you or the others," Ling mumbled, "I just…"

"You have trouble making friends?" Ol'Pong's question was met with silence, Ling looked away. "Don't be ashamed Ling, I know that feeling." He moved towards Ling, sitting down next to him. "You know," he said, his voice changed from chastising to fatherly, "I used to be just like you. It was hard to make friends, but so much easier to pick on them, or their weaknesses. It felt good at first, and for a long time, but eventually, I was all alone. I became depressed, became meaner to everyone and I became a bitter person. I wasn't even an adult then!" He paused for a while, then continued: "My father eventually saw what my problem was, he helped me and finally I started making friends. Eventually, I formed a network of friends who got me a good job. One of my best friends used to be someone I bullied when I was a child."

"I don't think I can…"

"I know that you can, if you would just give it a try. You don't have to be afraid of what might happen," the old man said.

"How would you know?"

"What can I say, it was my job to comprehend people's feelings and since I have some firsthand experience on the subject, I think I can make a pretty good judgment."

"What if I don't believe you?"

"What would make you believe it?"

"If you swear it'll work, I might just believe you on your word," Ling said, narrowing his eyes. He wasn't convinced at all, but, since he wanted his situation to change, he was actually willing to try anything someone suggested.

"I swear it, if I'm proven wrong the Earth King may judge me on my faulty words," Ol'Pong promised bombastically, fiddling on the locket around his neck. He kissed it and muttered the words: "Long may he reign." It was quite strange in Ling's opinion, he knew that there was an Earth King, and he knew that Earth King was more powerful than the king of Omashu, but he never thought of the Earth King in a way the old man was treating the person of the Earth King. He treated the Earth King as if he was a god, like a mere man would care if someone was kissing his picture on the other side of the kingdom, as if he knew that would happen. It assured him enough though, since the Earth King seemed to be close to the old man's heart. Usually, people would swear on their ancestors, but then again, Ling only really knew people from Hia-Pao and everyone there thought similarly on most subjects.

"Fine," Ling grumbled, "I'll give it a try."

"Then I guess you'll have to apologize to Sali once she gets back," Ol'Pong said suggestively. Loud thunder sounded, lightning struck a tree near the cave. The old man, while Ling was still in a state of shock, added: "If she gets back…"

* * *

It was a case of dodging pools of rainwater, jumping over fallen trees and running as fast as they could. Sen and Kukuh had lost sight of Sali and even though they were following the trail she had left, they were running on intuition. It was hard to see anything at all, they were running against the wind, so the wind blew rain in their eyes, which made the dodging and jumping quite a delicate activity. What was most scary, were the frequent lightning strikes, scorching trees, or letting them explode, in their vicinity. Loud thunder made it hard for the two to hear each other, so they chose not to say anything. Besides, talking would only cost more energy, energy they needed to get to Sali. It was strange, Sali was never someone to cry that fast, Kukuh had to admit, what Ling had said wasn't nice, but it was something Sali would usually shrug off. She was better at ignoring than he had ever been, something to admire in that situation, but dangerous nonetheless, like lady Fa had said to Sali before she died. That all seemed so far away in the storm, even though it had happened slightly longer than a week ago. Two weeks earlier, Kukuh had nothing to worry about, aside from his earth bending training and his bullies, but at least he didn't have to bear the responsibility of being the Avatar then. Of course, so far he didn't really have to do much in terms of his Avatar duties, but there was always that gnawing thought saying:

"_You are responsible for all those deaths, you should have stopped hem…"_

He couldn't let that thought go, even though he knew that it wasn't his fault that his people were under attack, and still… still he felt like he could have prevented it.

"_Should I have turned myself over?" _he thought, like he had thought once before.

"_Of course not you idiot!"_

There it was again, that voice in his head. He hadn't heard it for some time, he had nearly forgotten its sound and even his presence.

"_Turn yourself over will mean you will die!"_

The voice was probably right, at this moment, it would mean his death for sure. It was evident after the ambush in the forest, when all his escorts were killed and he had to run for his life. The wounds inflicted during the escape from that onslaught had fully healed, most of them already had been healed during the stay at the Fong estate. That also seemed so long ago, but that happened only a few days ago. He never realized that a lot had changed in the past days, not only on the world stage, but also on more personal areas. For instance, he had grown to actually like Sen, but Ling's return could now change all back to what it used to be, a thought which didn't excite him. Now that Sen actually respected him and treated him as a friend, he didn't want to lose that, certainly not if it meant being put down by both Sen and Ling again, every day.

"_Concentrate on the matter at hand!"_ the voice sounded again, this time more chastising. It didn't take his mind of other things though, but a loud scream after another proximate lightning strike did.

"That's got to be Sali!" Sen roared from afar. Kukuh hadn't noticed it, but Sen had actually run faster than him. It was a soothing thought, Sen seemed to actually care about Sali's wellbeing, which could actually mean that Ling's presence wouldn't influence Sen's behavior. On the other hand, the thought of something terrible having happened to Sali, counterworked that soothing thought. He felt anxious, the lightning strike and successive scream didn't promise good things.

They found her only moments later, lying on the floor, unconscious, a fallen tree laid partly on her, burying her legs on lower back under its wooden mass. It seems that the tree had knocked her down, but it was a rock on the ground that had knocked her out when she hit it with her head. Blood trickled from the place of impact, the bleeding didn't look that bad, it could have been worse. She would survive, most likely, but if she would be able to walk again was uncertain, that depended on how hard the tree had hit her. The tree itself rested on a rock and due to the angle in which the tree rested, Sali legs weren't crushed under the tree's weight. Sen used the rock to lift the tree a bit more so Kukuh could drag Sali from underneath the tree. Kukuh could now have a better look at Sali's wound, luckily for her, it wasn't much more than a bloody, sizeable graze. Her legs didn't seem broken, neither did her back. Kukuh picked her up, carrying her in his arms. It felt like she didn't weigh a pound, but that was probably because of the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Sen cleared the way for Kukuh, using his earth bending to clear out any rubble on the way so Kukuh could run towards the cave unhindered. It took them only a little bit longer to get back, Kukuh couldn't run as fast with Sali in his arms, but they got back to the cave unharmed. Ol'Pong was shocked to see that harm had come to Sali and even Ling seemed affected by Sali's situation.

"We need to apply some bandages on her head," Ol'Pong decided after glimpsing Sali's wounds, "but first we need to disinfect her wound. If we don't it might get infected, she would get a fever and might die because of it." The old man grabbed a pouch he usually wore on his belt, taking out a small vial of green liquid. "Luckily," he said, "I've got a herb mixture with me that will do the trick. It will also speed up the healing process. We need to apply it now and in three hours, after that, you'll see nothing of this wound in two days." He took a piece of white cloth from his pouch and dropped a single drop of the herb mixture on Sali's wound, which was still bleeding. With the cloth, he smeared it over the whole length of her wound and after a few seconds, he was done. "Now, we need some bandages," he noted, "unfortunately, I don't have any with them."

"We don't have any bandages either," Kukuh spoke for himself and Sen. Ling shook his head, indicating he didn't possess the needed item either.

"I don't have any baggage," he added to clarify. Both Kukuh and Ol'Pong panicked, they needed to apply the bandages, otherwise the herb mixture wouldn't work and the wound might still get infected. They hadn't noticed what Sen had been doing, he searched through his backpack, taking out his favorite tunic with long sleeves and tore one sleeve off. He proceeded to tear the sleeve apart into long, but thin strokes of cloth and then presented it to Ol'Pong, who gratefully took them and applied the improvised bandages to Sali's head.

"That'll do, at least for as long as she needs bandages," Ol'Pong said contently, but relieved. "Although we should make sure we get bandages once we reach a village beyond the mountain range," he stressed, "we'll run out of clothes if we keep doing this."

Ol'Pong's comment lifted the tension a little, a chuckle escaped Kukuh's mouth. How bad the situation might be at this moment, the war going on, Hia-Pao laying in ruins, Sali being hurt, he finally had the feeling things were going to get better. The storm was clearing and Ol'Pong pointed out that he had mistaken the amount of time needed to get to the Steep Path, they were only a few minutes away from the path's starting point. Once they're on that path things will get a lot easier, Kukuh reasoned, since the southern warriors knew not of the passage over the mountains. That meant no one was able to get to them, which gave Kukuh a sense of security, safety if you will. Of course, Ol'Pong had told them about the dangers of the Steep Path, but compared to the danger of southern warriors lurking in the forest around them, taking that path would be like a walk in the park. It had stopped raining, Kukuh stepped out of the cave, breathing in the fresh scent the rain had left.

"_Yep, things are definitely brightening up," _he thought, smiling broadly. With the future looking brighter, his confidence grew a little. Just when he wanted to turn around and get back into the cave, a few rays of sunlight breached through the darkly clouded sky, shedding its warm light on Kukuh's face. It invigorated Kukuh, it felt like it was a cosmic signal. Kukuh didn't know what its message would be, only knowing that it was a positive sign.

"_Don't become overconfident Kukuh, you have a tougher journey ahead than you realize!"_

There it was again, that voice. Kukuh ignored it, he wouldn't let some weird illusion ruin his good feeling. The goal was set and near, the Steep Path.


	8. Chapter 8: The Steep Path

8. The Steep Path

* * *

"Everyone deserves a chance of redemption, even those whom you might disgust or hate."

Dawn, a new day, the storm had left the forest ruined, one would nearly believe that half the trees in the forest had been felled, leaves covered the forest path. Here and there, you could see scorched, split trees, indicating that lightning had not only struck near the cave. The group, with Sali back on her feet after she had needed a day to recover, stood at the entrance to the Steep Path, a small, simple, wooden gate with a few inscriptions on the posts.

"Yong was here," Sali read out loud. "Well," she stated, "so much for sanctity."

"Vandals…" Ol'Pong groaned, "they've got no respect for the holy places."

"Heed this warning pious pilgrim, the path ahead,  
steep its steps, great the dangers on the road,  
will pay off, if the end is reached,  
for at the end awaits that place,  
that holy Mount Mourning," Kukuh read from the other post. "Mount Mourning?"

"Our goal is to get there intact, afterwards it'll be easy to get to the other side of the mountain range," Ol'Pong explained. "Mount Mourning used to be the place where the people of Gaoling used to mourn the dead in ancient times, but it has been forgotten by most."

"Why the name Mount Mourning?" Sali wondered out loud. She wasn't left without an answer, Ol'Pong gave it to her.

"Mount Mourning is a contraction of mourn and morning. Legends say that a man once lost the love of his life when climbing the mountain. He was struck with grief, but he had to climb on. When he reached the top of the mountain, he felt like his life had no more meaning. He slept through the night, the thought of suicide entered his mind. When he woke up, however, the view was so spectacular that he became entranced by its beauty. He entered the Spirit World where he found the love of his life. She talked to him, she brought him back to his senses, convincing him not to kill himself. She told him to mourn her, every year on the day she died and so he did. In order to be able to do it every though, he had to settle down near the mountain. He founded Gaofang, not far from Gaoling. Every year, he climbed the mountain, at first, alone, but later, people from the area where Gaoling is now located joined him. After Gaoling became a real town of importance, people forgot about Mount Mourning and the same happened to Gaofang not much later, ending an age old tradition."

"Wow, it sounds like a really inspiring place," Sen said.

"True, but there's more," Ol'Pong said, bending over to get on eye height with Sen and Kukuh, who stood next to each other. "Not only is it an inspiring place for the common people, it is also a very spiritual place."

"And that's important because?" Ling asked.

"Kukuh might get some cosmic vibes from that place," the old man replied dryly.

"Wow, really?" Ling asked overly dramatic.

"Make fun about it all you will, Ling, but the Avatar is the bridge between the material and Spirit World," Ol'Pong scolded, adding warmly while diverting his attention to Kukuh, "he might learn something useful."

"Standing around here won't get us anywhere though," Kukuh commented teasingly, looking beyond the entrance, up towards the mountain top. It wasn't such a high mountain, but then again, it was only the first of many they needed to climb. Beyond the entrance, the path took a slight turn, the angle of the path wasn't that steep.

"Doesn't look that steep," Sen noted, verbalizing Kukuh's thoughts.

"Don't be fooled Sen," Ol'Pong replied, "it mightn't look steep now, but I bet that beyond this first mountain, it will be. It wasn't called the Steep Path for nothing."

"Are you up for it, Sali?" Sen asked worriedly, as Kukuh, Ling and Ol'Pong had already walked through the little gate and started walking the Steep Path.

"Why would you care?" she snapped, "I'm fine." She walked through the gate, fast paced, onto the gradual slope of the mountain path.

"Maybe because I'm worried?" Sen replied slightly annoyed by Sali's behavior. No matter how hard he had tried to make up for his earlier behavior to Sali, she didn't seem willing to forgive him. She huffed and ignored him, trying to catch up with the three in front of her. Sen sighed deeply, following behind her.

After walking half a mile eastwards, slowly rising above the trees to the right, the path curved northwards and, as expected, the path got steeper. It was still quite easy to walk on the path though, so far, the Steep Path wasn't living up to its name. The road wasn't without trouble though, Sali was having trouble walking. It was a miracle she didn't break her legs or back when that tree fell on her a two days ago, and while it was true that she needed a day to recover, she was doing quite well for someone in her situation. However, now she was struggling. It seemed that she was unable to walk for longer amounts of time. She was being supported by Kukuh, she was hanging around his shoulders. Fortunately, they were about as tall as each other, so Kukuh didn't have to bend over to support her.

"I think we should pause for a moment soon," he said, noticing that Sali was having more and more trouble getting forward. Ol'Pong stood still, staring intently in the distance.

"The Heavenly Steps or not far from here, we can rest at its feet," he said, "we are only a few minutes away from the stairs."

"Does that sound okay to you, Sali?" Kukuh asked. Sali limped a little and nodded, she didn't want to waste energy on speaking, rather focusing it on getting to her destination.

While Kukuh was busy helping Sali, Sali was busy trying to walk, Ol'Pong was busy planning a time schedule –he had taken the responsibility of leadership since he was the eldest, Sen and Ling were able to fully appreciate the view. It was spectacular to say the least, which only made them wonder how great the view must be on top of Mount Mourning. Looking back, the could see the rooftops of Gaoling in the distance, while to their right, if they'd look down, they would see a deep chasm where in the deep, a small stream of water flowed. A few small trees grew out of the mountainside, they didn't bear leafs, they looked withered. If you looked closely, you could see a bird fly through the chasm, screeching terrifying sounds. That wasn't what made the view so nice, looking at the mountaintops provided the best view, the sun, hidden beyond one of the mountains to the right, colored the clouds, which could still be seen beyond the mountains, gold. It had a magical effect, instead of the sun providing its light, it looked like the clouds did. One could easily start daydreaming after seeing such a wonder of nature. It was one of the Steep Path's dangers, Ol'Pong knew, the magical views would distract the weary traveler, who wouldn't pay much attention to his steps, which could lead to very dangerous situations. Knowing that, and seeing something similar happening to Sen and Ling, he shouted at them, shocking them back into reality. Questioning him why he did it, Ol'Pong explained them the danger of those pretty views.

"Now keep your attention to what you are doing, we wouldn't want anyone to fall into a chasm now, would we?" The old man got no response, but Sen and Ling decided not to look around while walking, instead looking forward, like the others were doing. That way, they reached the Heavenly Steps after a minute or two.

"Look at that…" Sen said in awe, looking at the stair leading to the mountaintop, consisting of incredibly high steps.

"So far for simply walking the stairs…" Ling noted. He was right, walking the stairs was impossible, unless you were to be a giant. A normal person would literally have to climb the stairs, step by step.

"Indeed," Ol'Pong chuckled, putting his hands to his sides, staring somewhat contently to the mountaintop. "Ten thousand steps separate us from the mountaintop."

"We'll have to climb ten thousand of those steps in a row?" Sen asked, worried for himself, but mostly for Sali. Climbing ten thousand steps in a row would be too much for Sali to handle.

"Don't worry, there are four resting points," Ol'Pong reassured, "after every two and a half thousand steps." Sali heaved an evident sigh of relief, it seemed she had been worried as well. "But first, we'll have a break here," he said, sitting down on a flat, mossy stone near the stairs. "Sen, Ling," he said, bearing a teasing smile on his face, "now the two of you can stare around you all you want." He chuckled a little, saying: "Just don't start walking okay?" Sen shook his head slightly, chuckling as well. He walked to Kukuh, who was sitting next to Sali, the two of them resting their backs against the mountainside.

"How are you doing?" he asked Sali, he got no answer, she ignored him. "Okay…" he sighed, walking back to the stairs, climbing on the first step to sit on it.

"You know…" Kukuh whispered to Sali, "you should really give him a chance, like I said before. He's really trying to make it up to you. I mean, he was the first to go after you when you ran away." She looked at Sen, who was sitting on the first of the ten thousand steps, with mixed feelings of disbelief and confusion.

"You really think he has changed, do you?" she asked somewhat bitterly. Kukuh could hear in the sound of her voice that she still wasn't convinced.

"Just give him a chance Sali, people change…"

* * *

_Sneaking through a military encampment was easier than expected, it was something he had to report to Adok once he had the opportunity. In enemy territory, it was of great importance for the guards to keep the camps secure. Of course, being an insider, he knew the exact weaknesses of the camp's security. Now he had to find the person he was searching for between these more than thousand soldiers without getting spotted. Getting caught sneaking through this camp would get him arrested and sent to Adok, which would mean losing his head, or worse, getting tortured and then losing his head._

"_Where are you Kun…"_

_He knew that he had to search around the officers tents, Kun was a lieutenant after all. It was quite important to find Kun, he would need him to get what he wanted. He wasn't able to do it alone, but with his trusted lieutenant at his side, the mission would be bearable, at least possible._

_ A few soldiers walked past him, he fell to his stomach, as silent as he could, but it seemed it wasn't silent enough. One of the soldiers said he heard something. He held his breath, trying not to make a sound. The other soldier told his colleague he heard nothing, and the first soldier shrugged. Both of them walked away, allowing him to heave a sigh of relief. Hiding behind one tent after another, evading soldier after soldier, until he reached the officer's encampment in the center of the camp. The tents in this part of the camp were bigger, made of better fabric and better looking overall, fitting for officers of the southern army. There he saw him, Kun, barely fifteen years old. He was an adult, according to water tribe standards that is, a talented water bender, a fine warrior and, above all, a great tactician. He led the assault on Hia-Pao, taking minimal casualties, taking down the chief and quite a few soldiers in the process._

"_Too bad my failure took him down as well…"_

_He hoped for forgiveness now, and support above all. He had to move behind enemy lines, doing that alone was far too dangerous. Get wounded without having someone to turn to would mean a choice between succumbing to your wounds or becoming a prisoner of war. He followed Kun into his tent, the young man didn't seem to notice him._

_ That changed when Kun worked him to the ground. Luckily, Kun realized who he had knocked down before he yelled out to the guards._

"_Manak?! What are you doing here?" he hissed. "If you're caught here, you'll be sent to prison."_

"_I need your help Kun," Manak responded businesslike._

"_Help with what? I thought you'd been dishonorably discharged." Manak didn't like the sound of that, dishonorable discharge, it hurt his ego._

"_Chief Adok gave me a mission to redeem myself," Manak answered._

"_What mission?" Kun asked suspiciously. His eyes glimmered, somewhat angry, he blew a few of his black hairs out of his eyes._

"_It's the same thing we set out to do," Manak replied. He forced Kun off him. "Get off me…" Kun stepped up, walked to the other side of his tent, tapping two fingers on a cabinet in the corner._

"_You need my help to capture the Avatar?"_

"_Yes…" Manak saw Kun wasn't enthusiastic about it, but that would change soon enough._

"_You're asking me to help you achieve something which ruined my career in the first place?" he asked venomously. "Do you really expect me to help you?"_

"_Think about what catching the Avatar will do to your career. You won't become a captain, you might become an admiral at once." Manak's words seem to have effect on Kun. He knew exactly what Kun's weakness was, he was a perfectionist, an ambitious perfectionist. He knew that Kun's goal was to become an admiral, admiral of the First Fleet preferably. The young man was visibly considering Manak's offer, he just needed that final nudge. "You'll become a legend!"_

"_Fine…"_

* * *

That happened a day ago, now, Manak looked over the town of Gaoling, the place the Avatar must have gone to after his village was destroyed. This village was the next target on Adok's agenda, not to destroy, but to annex. Taking Gaoling would mean controlling the entire south-west corner of the Earth Kingdom.

"Kun," Manak called the young lieutenant to his side, "you take care of Shredder, I'll go ask around in Gaoling to see if the Avatar has been there." Kun nodded and disappeared into the bushes, while Manak left for Gaoling.

"_And if you've been in Gaoling, Avatar, I will find the trail you left. Once I've found your trail, I will hunt you down and I will get you. Once I do, my honor will be restored and I will be a hero once more!"_

* * *

It was a hard thing to do, climbing the Heavenly Steps, especially having to help Sali up each step, but still, they were progressing fast. Kukuh tried to count the steps they'd taken, but he lost count of it after about sixteen hundred steps. He climbed another step, laid down on his stomach and lowered his hand so Sali could grab onto it. Sen would then lift Sali up, while he would pull, so that Sali would end up on that step. Sali did have her doubts with Sen helping her, preferring Ol'Pong's help, but the old man had enough trouble climbing the steps himself. Then she had proposed to use earth bending to get up, which was an idea Ling had suggested earlier. Ol'Pong had said that it wouldn't work, but Ling, Sen and Kukuh tried it anyway. The old man was right, no matter how hard they tried, they were unable to bend the earth around them, much to Ol'Pong's amusement. He explained why it was impossible to bend, according to the old man, the steps are rumored to have been created by an earth spirit and because of that, because there is a lot of spiritual energy swirling around those steps, the earth around it cannot be bent. Sen climbed onto the step as well, it started to show that he was getting tired. Kukuh looked up, Ling was climbing three steps ahead of them, while Ol'Pong was one step ahead.

"Are you going to be okay Sen?" Kukuh asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'll be fine, let's just get to that first resting point."

"How long do you think it'll take us?" Sali asked Kukuh.

"I don't know," Kukuh admitted, "it could be just fifty steps, or a few hundred more."

"Oh well, it's not like it can get much worse…" Sen commented. His words were proven wrong immediately, a few strong gusts of wind nearly whipped him from his feet. Once the winds were stilled, the three continued climbing the steps, until eventually, when Kukuh and Sen had switched places, another gust threatened to throw Sali back down the stairs.

* * *

Kukuh had only let go of Sali for a split-second so that Sen could pull her up, when a gust of wind caught her in her side, violently swinging her to the right, straining Sen's arm. Kukuh was left in shock, he tried to grab onto her, but he couldn't reach out for her without falling down himself.

"Don't let go!" he shouted at Sen, who was trying to keep a strong grip on Sali's arm, but exhaustion and the sheer force of the wind were taking its toll. Sali, who'd screamed for help at first was now completely silent. The thought of being on the brink of death, again, rendered most muscles of her body weak. Her body was now like a leaf, a toy for the wind to play with. Sen's grip was loosening, he didn't have any more strength to hold her hand.

"Don't you dare slip away!" Sen shouted at Sali, who snapped out of her flabby state. She now took matters into her own hands, quite literally, grabbing onto Sen's wrist with her other hand. That helped, Sen was able to pull Sali in, if only slightly. Now that Sali had a tight grip on Sen, another problem arose, Sen was slowly sliding along the step, towards the step's edge. "Uh, Kukuh!" Sen yelled, "I think we've got another problem!"

"Hold on!" he shouted in response. Kukuh took a short moment to weigh his options.

"_Should I…?"_

"_No Kukuh, don't risk your life in such a…"_

The voice in his head sounded again, but he ignored it. He had to take a risk, otherwise his friends would surely die. He stood up and ran as fast as he could, and for as far as he was able to, against the strong current of the wind. He then jumped, still against the wind's current, reaching for the next step with both arms. He nearly missed, but he was able to cling onto the edge, even though barely. He pulled himself up, which cost him a lot of his strength, but he got onto the next step and he was now able to help Sen and Sali. He got on his feet and moved slowly towards his friends in need, carefully moving along the side of the next step. The sides of those steps were actually quite smooth, while they had looked coarse at first, but perhaps that was the reason for Sen sliding away at the moment. In the meantime, Sen was slipping away faster, getting closer and closer to the edge. Sali now floated over the deep chasm and Sen was about to fall off, which would plunge the both of them into the deep. Kukuh caught Sen by his shoulder just in time, stopping him from sliding off the step.

"Gotcha!"

They held onto each other like that for who knows how long, until suddenly, the winds ceased blowing. The moment Kukuh realized what was happening, he pulled Sen back with all the strength he still had. By pulling Sen back, he prevented Sali smacking into the mountainside, instead she fell face down on the step's surface. She was back on her feet surprisingly fast, relief numbed the pain inflicted by her fall. What she did next went against how she had acted earlier, she approached Sen and embraced him, thanking him from the depth of her heart for not letting her go when his life was on the line. Both Kukuh and Sen were stunned.

Shedding tears of joy, Sali explained: "Hanging there and you not letting loose gave me time to, and made me, realize that you really do care about my well-being; you really have changed."

"Told y…" Sen's remark was cut short by a light punch to his shoulder. Sen looked questioningly at Kukuh, who'd punched him. Kukuh shook his head, bearing a nearly scolding expression, which turned into a smile. Sen turned his attention back to Sali, who was still hugging him, patting her gently on her back. "You can let go of me now," he whispered amusedly.

"Yeah…"

"Are the three of you alright?" Ol'Pong yelled from above.

"Yeah," Kukuh yelled back, repeating it softly to himself, "we are."

"Good, Ling has reached the first resting point! You three need to climb just five more steps."

"Thank goodness," both Sen and Sali sighed in relief.

"_Great, we're getting somewhere…"_

"_You'll never do that again, you hear me!"_ the voice sounded so hostile. The voice obviously aimed at the risk Kukuh had taken. Kukuh tried to ignore it again, but the voice was getting more intrusive every day.

"_Not listening…"_

* * *

Compared to how the South Sea uses to be, it was a very calm day. Waves gently splattered apart against the wooden hull of the royal transport ship. It was quite small for a royal galley, it was only eighty feet long from bow to stern and ten feet wide. Only having one row of oars left enough space below deck for a spacious cabin for whichever royal it was transporting. In this case, it was the southern chief's son, prince Akkik, and his friend, Kala. Prince Akkik stood at the bow, his eyes focused on the horizon, unmoving. It had been that way for the past two days, ever since they were nearing the main camp's location. Not that Akkik was looking forward to seeing his father, it was quite the contrary, meeting his father always felt like a trial, hence why he tried to avoid him as much as possible.

Kala sat against the foot of the mainmast, fidgeting with long strands of her hair; it was just another boring day on the seas for her. She took the time to observe the sixteen year old at the bow, who, more so than others of his age, had become a real man over the past months. She was amazed of what the combined powers of hormones and disciplined training could turn someone in to. The little sunlight that escaped from behind the clouds shone onto him, on his muscled arms, his broad shoulder, partly covered by the polar fox fur he wore around his neck. It was the only thing he was wearing on his upper body, as soon as they'd left the artic regions of the world, he deemed his clothes too warm. His position as prince of the tribe withheld him from only wearing his trunks. Not that she would mind if he were to walk around in them, that'd be a feast for her eyes, but the crew and captain of the vessel they were staying on were, like most people, would deem it unfit behavior for someone of Akkik's stature. His father wouldn't be too happy about it either, quite the contrary, and Akkik wouldn't want to antagonize his father to that a degree –it would seriously disparage his father's authority if people deemed him unfit to be able to contain his son. A nearly bare torso would do just fine, for the time being. Kala's thoughts drifted off, they became ever more foul. They were thoughts not often attributed to girls, or teenagers in general, of her age, even though she was adult by law. Being an adult by law not necessarily meant having lost all childlike innocence, but Kala… Kala wasn't an example of a girl who had retained her innocence. If only her father knew… but then again, her father wasn't exactly an example impeccability. She, partly daydreaming, continued her observational tour, from his broad shoulders down across that bronze tinted back, next stop, that nice, firm b…

He spun around on his heel, he walked straight towards her, upright as always, in a calm pace.

"_Get back to reality idiot…"_ she told herself.

"On your feet!" he yelled, the volume of his voice fitted his brutish appearance; Kala bet he could outshout the captain of the ship. All the crewmembers that had been sleeping or fooling around were returning to their designated stations.

"What's wrong?" the captain asked, walking from the stern towards the mainmast, addressing his prince. "Have you spotted an enemy vessel?"

"No captain," he answered matter-of-factly, "we are nearing our destination, dry land is ahead and I want to arrive in style, not in a sloppy manner unworthy of someone 'my stature'." The insincerity dripped from those last two words, Kala noticed, as did the captain, but he ignored it.

The captain looked ahead, treated Akkik with the fakest of smiles, and said: "My prince, you know I… 'respect'… you, but might I point out that I only sea water at the horizon." Kala looked at the horizon, the captain was right, she too saw only water.

"Yes, captain, we share a common feeling, I tolerate you as well," Akkik responded sharply; Kala liked him most when he was like that. "But I recommend you too look again." It puzzled the captain, when he looked again, he could clearly see land at the horizon.

"But, how?"

"Does it matter captain?"

"No…" the captain stumbled, taken aback by the hostility sounding through the prince's question.

"It doesn't matter indeed," Akkik agreed. "What does matter though, is that you should treat you prince properly, never questioning his words, otherwise you might find yourself stripped from your rank," he paused a while, then shooed the captain away.

"That serves him right," Kala commented, walking, by Akkik's side, to the bow.

"Mhm," he agreed through humming, leaning over the bow's edge.

"You look excited to meet your father," she noted.

"That's not what excites me, I don't really look forward to meeting my father, but setting foot on conquered soil does give me some feelings of excitement," he responded. "I guess I should change into something more formal. Father won't have me walking through the camp like this." With that he walked off again, leaving Kala alone at the bow.

"_Aw… such a shame…" _she thought, bearing a restrained smile. The coast was approaching rapidly, its cliffs began to tower above the water.

* * *

"Good morning world!" Sen yelled, standing triumphantly on a boulder, overlooking the way down the stairs. The group had fallen asleep as soon as they had climbed the ten thousandth step, exhausted by the energy draining task of braving those stairs. It was a miracle they'd succeeded in climbing all of the steps in just one day, while needing to help a semi-injured Sali, who seemed to be doing a lot better that morning.

"Shh," Kukuh hissed at Sen. He was a bit cranky, not being used to sleeping on stony ground. "How come you slept so well?"

"Don't know, don't care. I'm in a good mood!"

"Obviously," Kukuh groaned. Sen's antics had woken him up, his back was now stiff and his muscles ached from last day's climb. The others were all up already, Sali and Ol'Pong had cooked breakfast and Ling was doing whatever Ling would do in the morning.

"Ling has gone ahead, if you want to know," Ol'Pong explained, "He will wait for us at the next… obstacle." He scooped up some leftover soup from the small kettle resting over the fire and filled Kukuh's bowl with it. He handed it over to Kukuh and started helping Sali clean everything up, so they could leave as soon as possible.

"What would that obstacle be?" Kukuh asked in between sips.

"That would be a very wobbly hanging bridge," Ol'Pong responded.

"Great…"

"Did I mention it was old and probably rotten?"

"Even better…"

"Finish your bowl already, we should cover as much distance as we can today," Sali stressed, "if we want to get to Mount Mourning in two more days, that is."

"How would you know how long…" Sen was interrupted before he could finish.

"Because I was smart enough to listen to Ol'Pong, Sen."

"I see the rivalry is still intact," Kukuh commented dryly. Eating that soup made him feel more awake and less cranky. He got no response, both Sali and Sen were already caught up in their, friendly, bickering.

"Will the two of you quit it already?" Ol'Pong eventually intervened. "We should get a move on." The two listened to the old man, who led the way. They were on the northern side of the mountain. A walkway made of stone led to a second mountain path, where, to the northeast, the dreaded hanging bridge would lead towards a third path. What would follow were some caves, a few more mountain paths and finally, after two days of climbing, they should reach the summit of Mount Mourning. Reaching that place would mean a lot, it would be another leap closer to reaching Omashu. Kukuh looked behind him, where Sen and Sali walked next to each other. She had actually begun accepting and appreciating Sen's presence since what happened last day. Kukuh could suppress a smile.

After walking for two hours straight, they finally reached the hanging bridge, but Ling was nowhere to be seen. The reason became quite clear when Ling showed up around the corner on the other side of the bridge, he had gone over it already.

"Guys," he yelled across the ravine, "that bridge is really unstable, but you should be able to cross it safely one by one."

"So…" Sen said, "who goes first?"

"I think I should go last," Ol'Pong said. "I'm the heaviest of all, so the bridge has most chance collapsing if I cross it."

"What a great prospect," Sali murmured sarcastically, "I'm now really looking forward to crossing that bridge."

"I think Sen should go first, Sali after him, then me and finally you Ol'Pong," Kukuh said. "That way we have one or two earth benders on each side of the bridge, for most of the time, in case anything goes wrong."

"I think that would be best," Ol'Pong agreed.

"We can't really say no to the eldest and the Avatar, can we?" Sen commented. "Fine, fine, I'll sacrifice myself for the better cause and walk the scary rotten bridge first," he stated dramatically. He grabbed the slippery, mossy ropes spanning from one side to the other and set his first step on the creaking wooden planks.

"Technically, Ling went across first," Sali told him in reaction to his dramatic performance.

"Really? You just can't help wanting to be smarter, even when I'm busy risking my life to get across a bridge?"

"Yup."

"Ugh," he sighed, taking it slow. The bridge wasn't that long, a hundred feet at most, but by the looks of the wooden planks in the middle of the bridge, a fast crossing wasn't advisable. Sure enough, he reached the other side, his hands colored green due to his firm grip on the mossy rope. "I'm not going to do that again…" he commented shakily after getting to the other side.

"Me neither," Ling said in response to his friends statement.

It was Sali's turn, she too reached to other side, faster than Sen had, without being careless. They had been lucky so far, the wind wasn't blowing as hard as it should, so the bridge didn't wobble as much as it could. A reason for worries was the rope in the middle of the bridge, which had partly decayed. Kukuh had to cross the bridge without straining that part of the rope too much. If he would, it could mean that Ol'Pong was in for some trouble when it was his turn to cross the bridge. That problem was far away for now, Kukuh had to go first.

"Just don't look down!" Sali yelled from the other side.

"_Don't look down? I should look down, I should pay attention to what I'm stepping on," _Kukuh said to himself. He moved towards the middle of the bridge slowly, but surely. So far, things were going fine, there was only a slight breeze of wind, no breaking planks, no breaking rope…

"_Just ten more steps…"_ He was getting closer to safety, but also more anxious, he felt like his heartbeat dropped with every step he took.

"_Just one more…"_ It looked like nothing could go wrong anymore at that point, he was virtually across the bridge already. As expected, he too reached the other side without any problems whatsoever. The real challenge was getting the old man across.

"Come on Ol'Pong, you can do it!" they yelled in unison, encouraging the old man. Ol'Pong moved slowly as well, but his steps were more confident than either Sen, Sali or Kukuh's had been. Instead of looking at the wooden planks beneath him, Ol'Pong paid close attention to the weakest part of the ropes, which seemed to succumb to Ol'Pong's weight. It's not that Ol'Pong was fat, he wasn't, but just his size compared to the children he was accompanying made the difference. He passed the middle part of the bridge, the four on the other side sighed of relief, the rope had held so far.

"Whoops!" it sounded from the old man's mouth, his foot went through one of the wooden planks. He was smart enough to say nothing was wrong, otherwise someone might have taken inconsiderate actions. He pulled his foot back, skipped the now broken plank and jumped for solid ground. His take-off was enough to snap the rope, turning the bridge on its side. It's exactly what Ol'Pong wanted to achieve. If someone was smart enough to find the path he and the Avatar had taken, that person would now be unable to follow them any further. "Come on, we need to go on," he stressed. "We haven't got time for a break right now. We have a long walk ahead of us."

* * *

It was so like his father not to show up when they'd arrived at the docks. Sure, the war was important, but it wasn't an everyday event that his son would come and visit him on the front. Akkik paced around in front of his father's tent, waiting for permission to enter. Kala sat a few feet away from him, she wasn't allowed to go with him, he had to deliver sensitive information to his father, information Kala wasn't allowed to hear. Most likely, the information had to do with intelligence gathered at the royal court in Ba Sing Se or Omashu.

"Prince Akkik," one of the chief's personal guards said, "your father awaits you inside." The man held the tent cloth covering the entrance open for the prince, indicating he was allowed to go inside.

Adok sat behind a desk fabricated from freshly chopped wood. The candle on the desk's corner was the only source of light, shedding a dim light throughout the spacious tent. The chief didn't look up, nor did he greet his son, he merely gestured at a chair in front of his desk. Akkik sat down and waited patiently for his father to start the conversation.

"Prince Akkik," he spoke after a long, dreadful silence, having finished writing another order for a regiment to the west. "I am surprised your mother has sent you to deliver me some simple messages, she could have used a normal messenger to do it for you. Have you been misbehaving again, that she sent you here?"

"No father, I…"

"Prince Akkik, you will call me by my title, as I have told you many times to do!"

"As you wish f… chief…"

"Good," Adok hummed, "you were saying?"

"I was sent to you because one of the messages needing to be delivered had to be delivered by someone trustworthy. Lady Kaya deemed only someone of a familial bond to be trustworthy enough, my chief."

"Is that so?" Adok put his papers aside, leaned slightly forward over his desk, resting his chin on his hands, his elbows firmly placed on the desk's surface. "Well then prince Akkik, don't keep me in suspense for much longer. What is it that was so important that only you could tell me?" Akkik gave his father the sealed letter containing the secret information. Adok broke the seal, opened the letter and started reading. His face was set in stone, his expression gave nothing away that could indicate on good or bad news. After having finished reading, he immediately set fire to the piece of paper, holding it over the burning candle. He nodded at Akkik, meaning he was allowed to leave; Akkik stood up and walked away. Just before he was about to step outside, he turned back to his father, remembering that he had promised to Kala to ask about her father's whereabouts.

"My chief," he spoke, "allow me to ask something of you."

"Go ahead," Adok replied coolly, digging into his paperwork once more.

"I wish to know about captain Manak's whereabouts my chief," the prince said. Adok looked up, his eyes narrowed.

"Why?" he asked slowly. He had sounded coolly during their conversation, but now he sounded icily.

"His daughter came with me to see him," he answered, quickly adding, "with permission of lady Kaya, of course."

"Aaaah, his daughter… yes, yes. Tell me, have you already made her a betrothal necklace?" Adok asked, his voice changing to a warmer tone. That didn't surprise him, Adok was more fond of Manak's daughter than he was of him, the chief's question swept him off his feet.

"Betr… wha… why would you th…" he stuttered.

"Oh come now prince Akkik, you have turned sixteen a few months ago and you're still without a spouse. When I was your age I had been married to my first wife for three years."

"So you've said before," Akkik replied. This was a subject he and his father always disagreed on. His father had been pushing him to marry ever since he turned twelve and was regarded as an adult, probably because Anoak married on his twelfth. "Besides, why should I marry Kala out of all girls from the Southern Water Tribe."

"Well, I'm not saying you should marry her, but seeing that she is the only girl you talk to…" the old chief sighed. "Akkik, you might not like the idea of marrying someone just yet, but the people are starting to spread rumors about you and I can't have those rumors taint the reputation of my family."

"What rumors?"

"Is the content important? The fact is that there are rumors being spread and rumors are never good news. Prince Akkik, I know we don't always get along, but trust me when I say this, it is best for you to really start thinking about a future wife, if you won't do it for me, do it for your tribe."

* * *

Life in an army camp didn't look that bad to Kala. Being surrounded by strong, muscled, young men looked more like a paradise to her than a place of horror. Especially the training grounds was like a magical place to her, where men would spar with each other, all bare chested. How her father would hate her to be here, watching that. "Too young for that," he would say, he was forgetting that she was an adult by law. She glanced at the chief's tent to see if Akkik was done talking to his father, but that wasn't the case. It was taking so long, longer than the time needed to hand over a few pieces of paper and Akkik wasn't really the person to start long conversations with his father, especially considering how 'close' they were. They were probably fighting again, most conversations between the two of them ended up that way. She moved her attention back to the spectacle at the training grounds where two soldiers had now switched from bending into hand to hand combat. They didn't hold back, they treated each other like they were archenemies. It was a good way to blow off steam, of course, but it seemed quite risky as well. If someone would get injured because of those fights…

"Enjoying yourself?" Akkik asked, startling Kala, who had been entranced by the sparring soldiers.

"Meh," she responded complacently, "I fight better."

"Sure," the prince replied, rolling his eyes. "Anyway," he said, "I've got good and bad news. The good news is that I know where your father is." He paused shortly.

"Yes?" Kala encouraged him to give her father's location, feeling Akkik was keeping her in suspense for too long.

"The bad news is that we need to go to the Central Water Tribe if you want to see him," the prince said. Kala didn't know why, but somehow she felt like the prince wasn't telling her the truth, or like he was hiding something from her. She would try wrest that from him later on.

"So you'll bring me to the Central Water Tribe?"

"Sure, I mean, I promised my mother I would bring you to your father, so I'm bound by my promise," he explained. "So let's go, the Central Water Tribe is waiting."

"Yeah, just one thing though," Kala said before leaving.

"What?"

"I refuse to sleep in the same area as those filthy sailors."

"Well find a solution to that problem, I'm sure."

"Yeah," she mumbled bearing a devious smile, "I'm sure we will…"

They set sail, having spent hardly two hours on dry land. Akkik had been evading Kala for ever since they went on board, trying to postpone their discussion of where Kala could sleep during the nights. At first, he was too busy helping the men with setting sail, after which he had to help the captain plan the course, only to disappear to the ship's caboose to help the cook. It was obvious Akkik had no clue where she could stay, but Kala herself did know. The prince was actually playing into her favor, so she was fine with him procrastinating their conversation. She would wait patiently and when bedtime would finally come, she would give him no other choice than for her to stay with him in his private cabin for the night. She would get what she wanted from the prince, even though it would get tough to manipulate him once he discovers that he has been playing her game for all that time. Unless… unless he was out for the same thing, which would be quite coincidental, but a lot easier for her. She would wait. Her thoughts drifted off, this time she didn't think about what she'd normally think about. This time her thoughts went out to her father, wondering what he was doing in the heart of the confederacy.

* * *

_"How very interesting indeed…"_ _Manak thought as he walked through the streets of Gaoling. People had been talking avidly about how the Avatar himself provided Gaoling with the wedding of the century, the marriage of Xen Bei and Ai Fong. _

"_So I was right, the Avatar has been here."_

_Oh yes he had been, unless Gaoling had a population consisting entirely of liars and fantasts, which he doubted. They had even provided him with handy details about the Avatar's company. He wasn't travelling alone, he was accompanied by a boy and a girl of his age and an elderly man. That was very fortunate indeed, an old man would slow the Avatar down, which would make it easier for him to catch the boy who escaped from his grasp not so long ago. Luckily, the people weren't mistrustful of strangers, still living in the ambiance of that grand wedding, they provided him with directions in which the Avatar had left. West…_

* * *

Now they, Kun and he, were riding westward, towards Gaofang, a little, insignificant hamlet near Gaoling. Something bothered him though. Qanaq's fleet had landed near Gaofang, and Qanaq's mission was to rendezvous at Gaoling with Adok's forces. That meant the Avatar would walk right into Qanaq's forces, which would leave him without the Avatar, without his place Adok's army restored.

"_Unless…"_ he thought, _"unless the Avatar would know those forces were coming from the west. He could be misleading me into believing he would travel west, while in fact he went east after leaving Gaoling through the western gate. For all I know he could be on his way to Pei Huang to take a ship towards Ba Sing Se from there. If he would get to Ba Sing Se… better not think about that, that would be the worst case scenario… but would a kid be that smart… Besides, it would have made more sense to travel east immediately, instead of stopping by at Gaoling. Gaoling was more to the west, seen from the Avatar's home village, so going to Gaoling first would mean taking a detour, which was hardly effective having someone chasing you."_

Kun looked at him, he felt the kid's eyes burning in his side, but he couldn't be distracted. He had to think about all the possibilities if he were to catch the Avatar.

"_If you want to catch a kid, you should think like one Manak…"_ he told himself. _"That means no intricate plans, but straightforward action. Home village, Gaoling, Gaofang, Omashu. It can't be something different, unless the old man comes up with a different idea… but then again, who would immediately trust a stranger met on the road… a child could… but not the Avatar… he is still a child though…" _he could mentally stomp himself, physically too, but that would only freak Kun out. He was doubting himself, he was doubting everything. How was that possible? How could the great captain Manak, the man who uncovered the location of the Avatar only months after the Avatar was born, doubt. His failures were starting to mess him up.

"_This can't continue…"_

They stopped at a junction in the road, one would lead to Gaofang, would lead towards the mountains.

"_Probably for meant for miners…"_

"A junction captain," Kun said, "whereto?"

"Dead ahead Kun, we need to go to Gaofang to get some information on the Avatar's whereabouts there. If he had been planning to go to Omashu in the first place, he must have come through Gaofang."

"_Maybe he stayed there after he heard Qanaq's forces were near, or maybe that's just wishful thinking."_

They rode through the forest at top speed, both mounting their polar dogs. They would need to hide those when they were getting near Gaofang. Unless it would have been overrun be Qanaq's forces by then, which Manak didn't hope for. Qanaq had ambitions too, Manak knew, so he would probably have started hunting the Avatar as well.

"_I can't have that Fire Nation advocate catch the Avatar… that honor belongs to me and me alone!"_

* * *

The last few miles are always the hardest, knowing that the final destination is within reach. They were too close to stop and rest, they were confident they could reach the summit before sundown.

"Guys," Sen called out, "I think I can see the top!" He wasn't met with cheers of joy or something similar, everyone was just too tired. For the past two days, they've spent walking over mountain paths, past steep cliffs and through dark caves, taking only a few breaks to eat and sleep.

"Finally, the top…" Ol'Pong sighed, "a place to sit down after a long journey…"

"Sleep…" Ling mumbled, "nice… soft… rocks."

"Yeah, some sleep would be pretty great…" Sali agreed. She was being supported by Kukuh again, her old injuries kicking in after such a long walk. She must have been the one to have suffered most during the journey along the Steep Path, being the only one having been injured over the past few weeks. Sure, Kukuh had sustained injury in the form of scratch wounds, but that was nothing compared to being whacked by a falling tree during the storm of the decade. "What are you going to do when we get to the top, Kukuh?"

"First," Kukuh said, sounding really tired, "I'm going to sit down and enjoy the view. Then, I'm going to lay down and sleep for ten hours straight."

"Why ten hours?"

"Don't know, the number just came to my mind," he said dryly.

Sen had reached the top, but he took no time to enjoy the view. He fell to his knees, then on his back and stayed down. Falling asleep after a few moments. Ling followed his example when he reached the top. He curled up, to keep himself warm –it was quite cold so high above ground level.

"Thanks Kukuh, I'll be fine now," Sali said when the both of them reached the top. She walked away to find a nice, quiet place to sleep. Kukuh waited for Ol'Pong, who arrived shortly after them.

"Look Kukuh," he said, sounding quite emotional, "look at that view." He pointed to the view in front of him. From the top of Mount Mourning, the could look over the Arid Plains and the transition into the Si Wong desert, home to the sand benders. It was not the view of the desert and the plains ahead of them that made the old man so emotional. No, it was the beauty of the sun setting, casting a deep red glow over everything they could see. The two savored that moment, it was a picture that could never be erased from their memories. The sun slowly disappeared behind the horizon and after a few moments, Kukuh and Ol'Pong found themselves in darkness.

"That was…" Kukuh stumbled.

"…beautiful," Ol'Pong said, interrupting Kukuh. "Yes…" The old man sounded happy. "I could die now…" he said, "if you hadn't been around, I would have stayed here, awaiting my end. However, you need to get to Omashu and I'll make sure the Avatar will get there safe and sound," he paused. "I never thought I would see a sunset at Mount Mourning, now I've seen one and I'll probably see a sunrise as well. I feel…" the man fell silent.

"…completed," Kukuh finished for the old man.

"Yes Kukuh, completed. Whole."


	9. Chapter 9: Mount Mourning

9. Mount Mourning

* * *

_A skies bleed, drops of deep red blood pool together on the fields, drowning the corpses of all fallen soldiers one by one. Women scour the fields, wailing, in search of their husbands or children. Here and there, the women find those who they were searching for, bursting into mournful cries. From the mountains, polar dogs could be heard howling, adding to the gruesome atmosphere._

_ Kukuh felt himself drifting away, his wounds had stopped hurting, his head was resting on Sali's lap. She, and someone who he didn't recognize, were crying. Sali looked different, older and more beautiful. He tilted his head slightly, looking at the other girl, but he could hardly see anything. His vision was blurring, a red haze formed before his eyes._

"_Kukuh…" he could hear Sali say. He wanted to look at her, but he felt his eyes becoming heavy. After fruitless tries to keep his eyes open, he reconciled himself in it. Eventually, the red haze disappeared, everything became black._

_ Suddenly, bright light and a lot of sounds. He jerked up, jumping on his feet. He recognized the area around him, how could he forget the village he grew up in. After a few seconds, he realized he had seen everything he saw before, it was that life changing moment, the moment captain Bo revealed he was the Avatar. Again, he felt all peoples' eyes peering in his back._

"_Not again…" he thought, blinking slowly. When his eyes opened again, he suddenly found himself elsewhere. He knew the place, he was in the garden of the Fong estate. He could see Sali disappear into one of the estate's houses._

"_Strange…" he blinked again, and, opening his eyes, he found himself on Mount Mourning, sitting next to Ol'Pong. He was flustered, he heard himself talking, but he wasn't, yet Ol'Pong replied looking at him. What the old man said, Kukuh didn't pay attention to, he was distracted by what was happening to Ol'Pong. His face started to decay, right in front of him, until the wind swept away a cloud of dust. _

"_Wh…" Now he was in the dark, he could only smell water and plants. Here and there, a beam of light shone through the thick roof of leaves. Getting closer to the source of light, Kukuh realized he was plowing through swampy waters._

"_What is this place?" he asked himself. He looked up, seeing a fist closing in on his face; instinctively, he closed his eyes. He found himself in a bustling city afterwards, together with Sali and Sen, but the former started to melt when he looked at her._

"_Nonono, this can't be real…" Next, he was on top of a mountain, which proved to be a volcano, erupting out of a sudden. Kukuh was shocked to hear an agonizing scream, resembling Sen's voice. He spun around, trying to look in the scream's direction, finding himself in a valley out of a sudden, together with Sali, which was weird since he'd seen her melt earlier, and a girl with a shaved forehead, dressed in amber colored robes, then, everything went white._

_ "Kukuh, wake up!" a deep voice, changing into a more high-pitched, feminine, voice, said. He opened his eyes, something stung him somewhere on his lower body. He looked into Sali's eyes, the baldish girl was there too._

"_That must have been the girl I couldn't see at first," he reasoned._

"_Don't you leave us yet Kukuh…" the baldish girl said._

"_W-who a-are you?" he asked. It shocked him how hard it was for him to talk, something was definitely wrong._

"_Don't you remember?" the girl asked, sounding deeply saddened. She told him her name, or so Kukuh thought, he couldn't hear what she said. He wanted to ask her to repeat her name, but he could only gasp for air._

"_Easy Kukuh," Sali said, wiping a tear away. "You shouldn't move too much until some healers get here." _

"…" _he couldn't say anything. It dawned on him, he was wounded, probably dying. "But why?" he asked himself in his mind. He drifted off once more, this time, when he opened his eyes, he stood on a hill, overlooking a long stretched field. He blinked, after which the fields were suddenly filled with thousands of soldiers. He recognized some of the armies generals, or commanding officers, as Ol'Pong, Sen, Ling, Sali and an ancient looking man dressed in elaborate robes. He blinked again, finding himself in the midst of the fight all of a sudden. He couldn't control his body, it was like someone else had taken control over him, determining his every move. He was fighting a man, someone he recognized from when he got ambushed in the forest, it was that southern warrior with the crescent scar on his jaw. Tendrils of water were slashed at him, but he easily evaded them, sending barrages of rocks and flames at the warrior._

"_I can bend fire?!"_

_ After having the upper hand for a while, suddenly he was brought out of the fight, finding himself floating in the air. The water bending soldiers suddenly flocked together, forming a wave of humans, which crashed into the army he seemed to be fighting for. Every person hit by the wave, exploded into a burst of light. All his friends disappeared, leaving him alone, until the scarred man drove a knife through his lower abdomen._

_ He opened his eyes again, looking into Sali's eyes again. His breathing sounded heavy, heavier than it had been last time. This time, he didn't feel his wounds anymore, but his throat was sore and he tasted blood in his mouth._

"_So, I saw what happened earlier…" he thought, but that left him thinking about what would happen now, he had obviously failed. As expected by now, he drifted away once again._

_ He floated in the skies, overlooking the entire world. Out of nothing, a wave formed from the South Pole, flooding the world's largest continent and eventually the North Pole. Afterwards, it looked like the water started to rise, drowning the remaining continent and all the other islands in the sea. _

"_I failed?" he asked himself. A feel of terror became master of him, he started to move frantically, wanting to get out of wherever he was, so he wouldn't have to see what was happening to the world. He started to fall, the water was closing in. When he hit the water, feeling its cold, he woke up again, feeling ice cold._

"_He's slipping," he could hear Sali say, but he couldn't see anything, nor could he talk._

"_He can't die," someone else, who's voice he recognized as the girl he didn't know, cried._

"_I'll try to…" his hearing now failed him. The only thing he now had was the sense of touch, but only on his face. The last thing he could feel was a soft breeze on his skin. _

_Suddenly, he heard the echoing voice of a woman, saying: "Don't worry Kukuh, we will always be connected, in this life, or in the next."_

* * *

Kukuh shot up, gasping for air, sweat trickled down from his forehead, falling in drops on his knee. He looked around, bewildered, his eyes started to get used to the darkness around him. He saw Ol'Pong, Sen and Ling sleeping not so far away from him and, secluded in a corner, he could see Sali.

"_It was just a dream," _he thought, heaving a deep sigh of relief.

"_Or was it a vision?"_ the voice asked.

"_Could it be?" _he doubted, but he couldn't accept the thought, he stored it in the corner of his mind where he kept all of his repressed memories and thoughts, but doubt had been sown into his mind. He tried to sleep again, but he failed to keep the thought at bay. He was embroiled in a fight with himself, with his mind. He wanted to forget what he had dreamt, but something withheld him from doing what he could. He knew he could forget about horrible things easily, he had enough practice with all Sen and Ling's bullying.

"_On the other hand, forgiveness isn't forgetting about something…" _he corrected himself. He stood up, he realized he would be unable to sleep anymore. He walked out of the cave, onto the mountain summit. He remembered how they ended up on the summit, Sen and Ling had fallen asleep immediately, while Sali took the liberty to find herself a good resting spot inside the cave. After their talk, Kukuh and Ol'Pong had carried both Sen and Ling into the cave, together, after which they too, exhausted as they were, fell asleep. Now he was awake, unsure of how long he had been asleep, but most importantly, unsure about what he was doing, was a good course of actions. If his dream was in fact a vision, could that mean that what he was doing would only lead to his doom and the doom of the world? He felt alone, truly alone, even though his friends were nearby. Sure, he could depend on them, he could trust them with his life and he could ask them for advice. He could even try to ask them Avatar related questions, but then again, of what help would they be, they didn't know how he felt, how much of a burden his duty was. How could they, normal persons, understand how the Avatar felt, no one could, unfortunately, answer the question he had, which was, in fact, only one of many.

"_Why can't I just have a nice dream, or a dream that could actually explain the things going on right now? Why does all of this have to be so hard? I'm just a kid…" _He found himself crying, crying on what Ol'Pong had dubbed the most beautiful of mountain tops. He had felt like he failed before, when Hia-Pao got destroyed when he wasn't there, or when he failed to convince the people of Gaoling to leave, but now the feeling of failing the entire world came crashing down on him, effectively obliterating him. It was for the first time he had cried in a long time.

"_How can I be the Avatar, the hope of the world, if I don't even really know what it means?" _he asked himself, wiping his tears away. His eyes now stung, because of his salty tears, but the pain of uncertainty and the sense of failure hurt him more. How could he save the world, he had no knowledge of geography, nor did he know much about the other cultures in the world. Heck, he didn't even know anything about the cultural standards in cities like Ba Sing Se or Omashu, or even if they had other standards there. He figured the people there would act different from simple villagers, but no one really affirmed that belief. In general, he was the Avatar, a function he didn't fully comprehend, who had to save the world, which he barely knew, from an evil he didn't know to its fullest extent.

"_Some Avatar…"_

* * *

Kala stared at the wooden ceiling, she'd woken up some time ago. She'd partly gotten what she wanted, quite easily so. She glanced to her right, where, breathing peacefully, Akkik was sleeping soundly. Indeed, she'd gotten herself into his cabin and into his bed, but unfortunately, Akkik was too much of a gentleman to make a move on her, or to comply when she. It's not that he wasn't interested, she could see the desire burning in his eyes.

After a while, she stepped out of the large berth, which was surprisingly comfortable, and walked through a door, and up the stairs that laid beyond it, into the cold dark night. She walked up to the bow, in her dark blue nightgown; her movements were deliberate, graceful. She looked over the seemingly endless depths of the ocean. She wasn't sure how to feel at the moment. Disappointment was the most predominant feeling, mixed with excitement, confusion and lust. She felt disappointed for not finding her father, who seemed to have gone elsewhere without letting her know through the military mail that he was moved to another position. She felt excited, since she would be visiting the Central Water Tribe soon, a melting pot of all water tribe cultures and water bending styles. She felt confused, because she knew Akkik was lying to her concerning her father, but not about what exactly. Perhaps nothing was wrong and she was only being a but mistrustful, or pessimistic. Finally, there was her lust, but that was self-explanatory. It was strange, she was full of thoughts, full of anticipation, but she was at peace at the same time, and it all hadn't kept her from getting a good, albeit short, night's rest.

* * *

Breakfast had been a welcome moment of pure delight, Ol'Pong was a master cook when it came to improvised meals made of mountain herbs and pieces of bread. He had cooked a tasty broth, in which he later soaked crispy pieces of bread. Indeed, it wasn't the most elaborate example of haute cuisine, but it was great viewing the circumstances in which it was made, with only little ingredients to work with. It was an opinion shared by everyone in their little group. Having travelled a few days together, the hierarchy was now quite clear and everyone actually approved of it. Ol'Pong would be the one taking on him the responsibilities of leadership, but, since he was the Avatar, Kukuh had the final say in everything. So far, it had worked out, Kukuh and Ol'Pong had the same objectives, namely, getting the Avatar to Omashu as fast and as safe as possible.

"Sali, could you take the dishes to the mountain stream, a bit more down the mountain path, so they can be washed properly?" Even though his question was imperative, Ol'Pong asked, polite as he was.

"Sure," Sali said, picking up a few bowls, but she found out she was unable to take everything with her in one go.

"Here," Ling said out of the blue, "I'll help." He took with him the cookware, so that everything was cleaned up when they left.

"Strange," Sen noted, "Ling helps Sali."

"And she actually accepts it…" Kukuh added.

"Well kids," Ol'Pong replied cheerfully, getting onto his feet surprisingly easily, "an example of how miracles can still occur nowadays." The three of them chuckled, but Kukuh turned serious again within after that small moment.

"So what do we do now Ol'Pong?" Kukuh asked. "Do we stay here for another day, or two, or do we leave as soon as Sali and Ling get back?"

"Granted that _both_ of them come back," Sen joked. His joke was met with a soft chuckle from the old man's part, whereas Kukuh didn't seem to have heard it. Kukuh's thoughts seemed to be elsewhere, Ol'Pong deduced from the Avatar's distant behavior of that morning; something was wrong.

"I thought we'd best stay here for another night, so we can start the final part of our journey well rested," Ol'Pong lied. His plan was actually to get to the nearest village, Fu Dao –a little village on the Arid Plains, near the mountains, where they could rest and resupply. However, seeing that the Avatar was obviously struggling with something, he thought it might be best to stay for a little while, so he could find out what was bothering the Avatar, so all could travel to Fu Dao with their minds at peace.

"Sure, great plan," Kukuh responded aloof. He hadn't even listened to what the old man had said, his mind was still occupied with the dream he had during last night.

"Ol'Pong?"

"Yes, Sen?"

"What function do these carvings have?" the boy asked, pointing at the mountainside, opposite to the cave, perpendicular on the Steep Path, and the narrow mountain path connecting Mount Mourning to the Arid Plains. In front of the mountainside, a shallow hole with a stone in its center was hewn out, it was filled with a small amount of water.

"Carvings?" Ol'Pong asked. It had piqued his interest, he moved towards the mountainside filled with all sorts of decorative and scriptural carvings. Some of the decorations were abstract figures, others were realistic pictures of people and what seemed to be a few mountains. "How interesting," the old man mumbled. "I can't believe I hadn't noticed this earlier."

"Well, we were tired yesterday, and earlier this morning, we were too busy watching the sun rise, cooking and eating."

"Very true Sen, but to answer your earlier question, these carvings contain the names of all people worthy enough to be mourned on these sacred grounds. That picture there illustrates the tale I've told you earlier, the myth surrounding Mount Mourning."

"How do you mean, 'worthy enough'?" Sen asked, showing outright distaste of the inequality concerning how the dead were treated. Whereas in Hia-Pao, the dead weren't regarded as equal as one another, they were buried together, and thusly mourned together, on the burial fields.

"Only great heroes, people who've done extraordinary things to the people who lived in these regions where mourned here, while the common folk had their own tombs set out as a place of mourning," Ol'Pong explained. "But, as I've told you earlier, the tradition eventually ceased to exist." He swept his hand over the moss covered lower parts of the engraved surface. "Look," he said, "that's the last name to ever been engraved into the mountainside."

"Setia…" Sen read. He hesitated to ask: "Who's that?"

"Setia…" Kukuh mumbled, it sounded so familiar.

"Setia was the previous Avatar to hail from the Earth Kingdom. She lived about two to three centuries ago. In her time, there was peace and prosperity. It was for the first time in a millennium that no threat occurred during the lifetime of an Avatar. The era of peace was eventually ended by the civil war in the Fire Nation, following the transition from a theocracy to a monarchy. When she died, the few people that still knew about this summit gathered here, created that hole right there and filled it with their tears, so the legend says."

"_So she is one of my past lives… it's not like she can help…" _Then it dawned on him, he wasn't alone. _"I have all my past lives to aid me! I'll try to find a nice, quiet spot to contact them. I can't believe I hadn't thought of this sooner…" _He smiled, and walked off.

"Where are you going, Kukuh?" Sen asked.

"Uh… I uh… I'm going to check up on Sali and Ling, you know, to see if they haven't killed each other," he said, running off. Instead of running towards the mountain stream, Kukuh took a small, narrow mountain path leading to a cliff, secluded from the rest of the summit. It was completely silent, he couldn't even hear Ol'Pong talking to Sen, while they weren't that far away. He sat down in lotus position –why he sat down in that position, he couldn't tell, it felt like some sort of automatism. He took some time to calm down, to steady his breathing and concentrated as hard as he could.

* * *

"What do you want Ling," Sali snarled at the teenager who'd followed her silently out of camp, carrying the pots and kettles with him. She'd waited for them to be far enough from camp so no one could hear what they were talking about. It was funny how ridiculous Ling was looking, he was starting to grow a stringy mustache, it looked absolutely idiotic on him, but due to the lack of shaving tools –they'd forgotten to take a thin blade with them, he had no other choice than to let it grow. She actually thought herself to be quite pathetic for ever having been afraid of someone who looked like a complete dork, even though he didn't possess the physique of a dork. She hadn't shunned him since they'd climbed the Heavenly Steps, but then again, she still didn't feel that comfortable with him being around. It had been a different case with Sen, who's witty comments on the road to Gaoling she could appreciate, even though she still hated him at that moment. She jumped onto a large rocky plateau, along which a mountain stream containing fresh, cold water ran.

"I-ah…" Ling answered hesitantly, standing still next to her as she knelt to start washing one of the many bowls she'd taken with her; they had a bulky breakfast, so she had some work cut out for her. Ling kept quiet, whereas it first looked like he was about to say something, instead, he knelt down to and started washing one of the two kettles. It annoyed Sali that he hadn't said what he wanted to, so she urged him to speak up.

"Well?"

"I guess I…" he sighed, and was silent once more. Whatever he wanted to say, it seemed like it was hard for him to actually say it to her. That was a new experience, so far, Ling hadn't been scared to speak his mind to her, but what he had to say was only negative. Now that he actually was scared talking to her could mean that he was, for once, trying to be nice, or pretending to be so. She nearly felt sorry for him, nearly, but not quite.

"Just finish saying what you want, will you," she snapped at him. His response amazed, and entertained, her. He was actually taken aback by her, the person who'd taunted her for as long as she could remember was taken aback by her words. It didn't feel as good as it felt when Sen was willing to give up his own life, trying to save hers, but she deemed it coming pretty close to that feeling.

"I…" he sighed again, but finally he blurted out what he wanted to say: "I'm sorry alright!" He actually burst into tears, cradling his legs, upon which he rested his head. That changed how Sali felt about herself again, she saw herself in Ling, she'd been like that when another day full of bullying had passed. The amazing feeling turned into a feeling of compassion, she actually felt pity for Ling. It was surprising, and daunting at the same time, to see him so fragile like that. His words impacted her more though, being completely honest in the context.

"For what?" she asked, sounding far less hostile as she had sounded earlier. She actually sounded somewhat warm.

"For everything!" he cried. She could see him biting his lower lip, he sobbed in short intervals. "But most… mostly for… for what I said during the storm. I was j-just so angry."

"Wh…"

"I was angry, because of what they did to my father and I projected my anger onto you." He sighed, sounding somewhat relieved that he'd finally spoken out what he'd kept to himself for so long. "I said thing about you family that I never should have." Mentioning her family made her remember again what she'd been trying to forget for so long, the sight of her dead brothers and sisters. Tears welled up in her eyes, she too cried.

"All my brothers and sisters are dead… and I wasn't there to protect them," she cried. Ling embraced her, shocking both himself and her doing so.

"I'm so sorry for what I said about them," he sobbed. He sounded so upright, Sali wouldn't have believed it if she had seen and heard all this herself. She was intensely sad, not only because she was reminded again to what those barbarians did to her siblings, but also because she had told someone else about it, with that person being Ling of all people. Not being able to keep it to herself felt like a great defeat, showing her weakness to Ling in such an obvious way felt even more so. "I'm sorry," he said again; it was nearly starting to become some sort of mantra, to be repeated every five seconds.

"I forgive you," she muttered, surprising herself on how easily she had said that. At the same time, it felt like some sort of heavy burden was lifted from her shoulders, it was like all of a sudden, life looked so much brighter than it had been before. What happened next is what she would never forget for the remainder of her life.

* * *

Catching the Avatar had proven much harder than Manak had initially thought, the fox had outsmarted him again. What Manak had feared at first, when he doubted about the Avatar's plan of action, had become reality, he had gone east, if he was to believe the people of Gaofang. He had been composed in front of everyone, while screaming and raging internally, until he was far into the forest, nearing the place he had left Kun to guard their polar dogs.

"Something wrong?" the young lieutenant asked, unfastening the reins, which he had fastened to a tree earlier, of his polar dog. Manak did the same, giving no direct response. Manak rode away, eastwards, Kun followed him.

"They went eastwards," Manak growled after a while, spurring Shredder to run faster. "Argh, how could I've been so easily fooled!" he screamed as loud as he could, releasing all built up frustration from the past days.

"So… the distance we had thought to have made up by now…"

"Has grown larger, yes…"

"Great…" Kun murmured. They rode through the forest, not speaking a word, for little less than an hour, after which they arrived at the junction they'd past the day before; the day on which they were still hopeful of catching the Avatar in Gaofang.

"Hold on…" Manak said, stopping his polar dog in the center of the three-way junction.

"_What if this is another one of the Avatar's tricks…" _he though. _"What if the Avatar want to make me think he's going for Pei Huang, only to hide inside a mineshaft until the coast is clear, so he can continue his journey to Omashu uncontested by me…"_

"Hey, where are you going?! That road doesn't lead to Gaoling!" Kun yelled after Manak, when the latter trusted his instinct and took the road towards the mountains. Kun followed, confused, beginning to doubt Manak's ability to find the Avatar, so that the honor of both of them would be restored.

"Hey Manak!" he yelled, gaining on the captain after chasing him for some time. He didn't stick to military protocol, calling his superior by his first name, which shocked him a little, but then again, Manak's behavior was angering him. "If you decide to run into a random direction, you should at least tell me why! My position in the army is on the line too, you know!" He now rode next to Manak, he grabbed the captain's arm, who shot an angry glare at him in response. "I deserve to know," Kun said, articulating as slow as he could to add a certain degree of threat to his statement.

"First," Manak growled, "you will let go of me, you…" He withheld himself from saying something he would regret later just in time. Kun, realizing he was diminishing his superior's authority, let go of him.

"Now tell me," he commanded.

"There is no need for me to tell you…" Manak replied. He grinned, a broad smirk adorned his face, stretching his trademark crescent scar, making it look L-shaped. "Behold," he spoke in a dramatic sounding voice, with a little flair. "The Avatar's escape route!"

"A mountain path?" Kun asked, quirking an eyebrow. "You think the Avatar is stupid enough to hide somewhere up there?"

"Maybe," Manak said slowly, reading what was written on the gate's posts. "The Steep Path…" he mumbled. "But perhaps," he said, turning back to Kun, "perhaps this path will lead to the other side of the mountain range. That would mean the Avatar…"

"… would evade us and the armies of Qanaq…"

"… and be one step closer to Omashu, yes," Manak confirmed.

"It's just a hunch…" Kun objected.

"It's not a hunch, Kun," Manak replied, "I can feel that that's the Avatar's plan."

"Feelings are…"

"Besides, according to one of the villagers in Gaofang, the Avatar is being helped by a local, someone who might know his way around that mountain passage. It's too risky to presume the Avatar wouldn't take that route. Besides, if he'd gone east or west, he would run into an army at some point."

"Yet if he would take a route through the… I get your point."

"Good, so now we must decide on what to do next."

"Following them over the mountains would take too long, with their head start, they'll be safe in Omashu even before we get past the mountains."

"That is true," Manak agreed, "but if the both of us go around the mountains, they might turn back uncontested."

"So one of us should follow the mountain path, while the other one takes the route around?" Kun asked.

"Precisely, that might even catch them off-guard, which will make imprisoning them much easier."

"We'll be imprisoning the others too?" Kun asked, surprised by the captain's words.

"Of course we will imprison the others, except for the old man, he is useless," Manak grinned.

"But of what use would…"

"They would make fine slaves," Manak replied before Kun could finish his question, grinning broadly.

"And slaves earn you good money, I get your drift," Kun said. "Well then, I guess our roads will split for the moment."

"That would seem to be the case, lieutenant," Manak nodded.

"Alright then," he said, "shall I take the route through the mountains then?"

"I think that would be best, since you have got the messenger pigeons with you. You can send a message once you find a clue."

"Yeah, you're right on that part…"

"Besides," Manak interrupted, ignoring what Kun was saying, "the person who goes around could try to get some help at the Central Water Tribe."

"Wouldn't that be a risky move, captain, if you want to keep the Avatar's escape a secret from…"

"Don't you worry about that lieutenant," Manak said, waving Kun's objection away. "I know just how I should tackle that issue. Young chief Ghanak doesn't need to know what fugitive I need to capture, he only needs to know _that_ I need to capture a fugitive in order to aid the cause greatly."

"Do you really think he'll comply without asking questions?" Kun asked unconvinced.

"No, but I do think he'll help me, whether I give the answers or not," Manak answered. "As far as Ghanak knows, I'm still Adok's number one captain. If I tell Ghanak I'm acting on Adok's orders, who are to remain secret, he won't be bothering me and before we know it, we'll have caught ourselves the Avatar and we'll have restored our honor with it."

"Fine," Kun said, satisfied with Manak's plan for the moment being. He spurred his polar dog to start his journey along the Steep Path.

"Don't you do anything rash without my orders!" Manak yelled after him. He doubted if Kun had heard him, he probably had, but he was already too far away to hear his response.

* * *

Manak passed through Gaofang again, but this time he didn't have to hide who he was. On his polar dog, he rode proudly over the hamlet's main road, he had set the objective, he had to reach the Central Water Tribe as soon as possible. For what he had heard about the Avatar and his group of friends, they had a head start of about a day. That was easily rectified when riding an animal as fast as the southern polar dog. He recalled Kun's words again, his concerns about the cooperativeness of the tribe's chief, Ghanak the Younger. While it was true that he'd rather faced the easy to manipulate chief Ghanak the Elder, who passed away only a year ago, having reached the respectable age of eighty-eight, having to talk to Ghanak the Younger was hardly a problem. His father was easy to manipulate, because of his age and mental decline, Ghanak the Younger was an inexperienced chief, but someone dedicated to Adok's master plan. So far, the Central Water Tribe hadn't joined the war against the Earth Kingdom yet, but once admiral Qanaq takes the Unagi-peninsula, Ghanak would send his forces to Omashu, to start what will definitely turn out to be one of the longest sieges in history.

"_So actually, if Qanaq takes the peninsula before the Avatar reaches Omashu…" _he reasoned, _"the Avatar will fall into the hands of Ghanak the Younger, which gives me a timespan in which I must capture the Avatar. I think it'll be a week at most, if not shorter, before Qanaq has absolute control of that area. A week is more than enough time to catch the Avatar though. Once he gets down on the other side, I'll be waiting there with a small army of my kin from the Central Water Tribe." _He smirked broadly, he found himself doing that a lot lately, he felt like he did when he was on his first mission issued by Adok, having to find the Avatar. He felt more adventurous, less restricted by the bounds of military protocol.

"_Perhaps that's why Adok relieved me from my station as captain…" _he mused, _"maybe he wanted me to be my best and he knew that I felt contained by the military code and all that nonsense. Ynook broke the bond between the north and the rest, so why would we still stick to his protocol?"_

* * *

She was left shocked by what she had seen and it looked like Ling had seen the same, or something similar, because he too bore a shocked expression on his face.

"Did I dream that, or did my brothers and sisters talk to me?" she asked Ling.

"I don't know, but… I s-saw my father," he stammered.

"But how?"

"I don't know," Ling said, "but I've never felt more at peace than right now. My father said some things to me that made me think about how I've been for not only the past days in particular, but also the last years. He told me he was proud of me though, because I'm helping the Avatar. Even though I've made mistakes, he said, he knew I would make him proud."

"My oldest brother," Sali said, wiping a small tear away, "told me that I wasn't like my usual self. He said I looked bitter, and you know, he was right. I've been a bitter person since the invasion, maybe even longer. He made me realize that that wasn't me." She sighed deeply. "He said he missed his sister, not because he wasn't around anymore, but because I wasn't behaving like myself."

A long silence followed, but it was broken when Ling asked: "Sali, did you mean it when you said you'd forgiven me?" Sali stared at him, she didn't answer. Ling cringed, but for no valid reason. Sali hugged him, only briefly, retreating shyly.

"Yes," she finally answered, "I'll give you a chance." Ling smiled at her, gratefulness shone from his face. "We shouldn't be sitting around like this any longer," she then said, "we've been gone for far too long and we haven't even finished washing all the bowls. The others might get worried if we don't hurry up."

"Give me some of your bowls, if we work together we'll finish it faster than when we work alone."

"What do we say when we get back though?" Sali asked. "Do we tell them about what we saw?" She didn't feel that excited to tell anyone about it, having to tell Ling about what happened on the day of the invasion had been hard enough, even though it felt surprisingly easy at that moment, so she'd rather keep that between the two of them.

It was like Ling sensed how she felt about it, he said he'd rather keep it between the two of them: "This was something very personal, I don't see why we should tell everyone about it."

"What do we say when they ask how we've gotten so friendly to one another?"

"We tell them the truth, we talked it out, didn't we?"

"I guess we did," Sali said, smiling happily for the first time in over two weeks.

* * *

When the two returned to camp, Ol'Pong immediately asked Ling if he was willing to scout the road ahead. Ling left immediately to see if there were hostile forces ahead of them. Sali retreated into the cave, she was tired, walking was still an intensive practice for her. That left Sen and Ol'Pong alone, who were surprised to hear Kukuh hadn't checked up on Sali and Ling when they were doing the dishes. Something was definitely wrong with Kukuh, in Ol'Pong's eyes, he was behaving unlike his usual self. Sen eventually left the summit, to practice his earth bending without disrupting Sali's sleep. That is when Kukuh finally showed up.

"Where have you been, young man?" Ol'Pong asked, trying to sound like a chastising father. He knew that he wouldn't come close to sounding like that, but it had some effect. Instead of an answer, Ol'Pong got a different response. Kukuh told him he needed help with something.

"What's wrong Kukuh?" Ol'Pong asked.

"Last night," Kukuh began explaining, "I had a terrible dream. I dreamt that I had failed to bring balance to the world, that I got defeated and killed."

"That explains why you've been so distant today," the old man mumbled, continuing to listen to what the Avatar said.

"Everything fell out of balance, almost everything was destroyed, all because I failed to do what I was supposed to do."

"It was a dream Kukuh," Ol'Pong tried to reassure the boy.

"But what if it wasn't, what if it was a vision of the future?" desperation sounded through Kukuh's voice. "I have so many question, about this and about other things, but no one can help me, none of you that is."

"Then why are you saying all this to me, if you don't expect my help?" Ol'Pong wondered.

"You can't help me with the questions I have, but I know my predecessors might," Kukuh answered. "But," he added, sounding somewhat sad, "I failed to contact them, even though I tried my best."

"And you want help with that?" Ol'Pong asked.

"Yes…" Kukuh said, "I tried my hardest, really. I found a nice, quiet place, I sat down and I did my best to concentrate as hard as possible, but…"

"Ho-hold on," Ol'Pong said, slowing down Kukuh's rambling, "why don't you first calm down, and then I'll help you the best I can."

"You will?"

"Only if you calm down," Ol'Pong laughed. He waited a little while for Kukuh to calm down, after which he took him to the tear-filled hole in front of the carving-filled mountainside. "Sit down on that stone in the middle," he instructed. Kukuh obliged and sat down in lotus position. The rock was a bit slippery, it was covered in moss, but once he sat, he didn't slip off.

"Now," Ol'Pong resumed, "close your eyes and breath in through your nose, and out through your mouth."

"…"

"Don't talk, just breathe… _slowly_," the old man stressed. "Clear your mind from everything that troubles you…"

Kukuh sat still, moving not a muscle, except those needed for proper breathing. He felt at ease, but that was about everything he felt. He didn't feel any spiritual energy, nor did he find a connection to one of his past lives. By that time, he had noticed Sen had come back. He was asking Ol'Pong questions why Kukuh was meditating in the middle of the Pool of Tears. Ol'Pong explained to Sen what Kukuh was trying to accomplish, but Sen didn't understand. It was all nonsense to him, he paid respect to the ancestors, but trying to contact them while they were long gone, that was a bridge too far in Sen's book. The longer time passed, the more Kukuh started to underwrite that belief. After three hours of trying as hard as he could –it surprised him he had that much patience to last three hours, Kukuh gave up.

"I can't do it," he told Ol'Pong. "The other Avatar's might have been able to do it, but I can't."

"Give it time Kukuh," Ol'Pong said in attempt to comfort the Avatar. "I'm sure that one day, you'll be able to contact your past lives and begin to resolve the problems you feel or see at this moment."

* * *

When Ling had finally returned from scouting ahead, the sun was about to set for the second time they were on Mount Mourning. Sali had woken up earlier, and the group had lunched without Ling, but shared dinner with him when he had come back. According to Ling, the coast was clear and the village wouldn't be too far away. He proposed to get as much sleep as possible, so that once the sun would rise, they would be on their feet and on their way to Fu Dao as soon as possible. The road to Fu Dao itself wasn't as long as it was from Gaofang to Mount Mourning, it would take five hours, seven at most, to reach the little village. Then they would rest there for six days, instead of the planned week, since they stayed an extra day on Mount Mourning. In those six days, Ol'Pong and Kukuh would have to plan the route to take, since so far, they had only thought about the route to Fu Dao. There were three routes they could take from there, a safe route, which meant travelling around the Central Water Tribe territories in a wide circle, which meant a long journey across the Arid Plains. The second route would be the riskiest, but also the shortest and fastest route, going through the marshlands under control of the Central Water Tribe. The risky part would be not knowing on which side the tribe's chief would be. If he were to be on the side of his southern brothers, they would surely be captured and, or killed. The third option was neither risky, nor safe, it was slightly longer than the route through the marshlands, but slightly shorter than the route across the Arid Plains. Ol'Pong was pondering on those options already, without consulting Kukuh. The Avatar had enough on his mind already, which probably was the main obstacle in his attempts to contact his past lives. That was another thing worth thinking about, thinking about a way to reassure Kukuh, so that he might be able to contact Avatar Kalak, or anyone that came before him, maybe Avatar Setia.

* * *

Ol'Pong sat alone after the sun had set, Kukuh and his friends had entered the cave to get their night's rest, the were sleeping soundly. Ol'Pong wandered off, leaving his cane at where he had been sitting. He wanted to test himself, to see if he was still in the shape. He ran down the Steep Path, his old bones creaked, but after a short while, he ran as smooth as he'd always been able to do. He ran onto an open place, not so far from Mount Mourning, still high up in the mountains. There, with fast, short jabs, he bended large boulders into the mountainside, which he tore down grasping into it and dragging it down. He smirked, he was content, he hadn't lost his touch; he hadn't even broken a sweat. He walked back to the summit, his gaze was fixed to the northeast, there where he belonged, not on Mount Mourning, as beautiful as it might be, but in Ba Sing Se. He caressed the locket hanging from his neck, the locket containing the image of the Earth King, his king. He'd never forgotten about his mission in the thirteen years of inactiveness, but he had been unable to keep in shape. What would the inhabitants of Gaoling had thought, if they'd seen an old man like him training, sprinting, doing advanced earth bending moves. It would have blown the cover he wanted to establish, the cover of an old man, waiting for his death to relieve him from life.

"No Sipong," he said to himself, as he had been saying for the past thirteen years, "the well-being of the Avatar goes above your training." He reached the summit and entered the cave. The soft humming sounds of the four sleeping children brought a smile to his face. It was a strange feeling that one of those innocent children was the only hope for the Earth Kingdom, and the world. He put down his head, and feel asleep after a little while.

* * *

_"Kukuh…"_

"_Kukuh?"_

"_Kukuh!"_

Kukuh jolted up, he blinked, he looked around frantically to see who called him, but all he could see and hear was his companions asleep.

"_Strange…" _he thought, he lied down on his back again and closed his eyes. However, something prevented him from falling asleep. In fact, the more he tried to fall asleep, the more awake he became. He started to notice how bright the stars were outside, whenever he opened his eyes. He noticed the soft hums from Sali's part and Ol'Pong's soft snoring. He stood up after a few minutes, realizing that, once again, he wouldn't be able to sleep an entire night through. This time, the nightmare of the previous night hadn't haunt him, he'd been resting at ease. That made waking up out of a sudden even more strange. He walked out of the cave, into the cold air. The moonlight shone on the engraved mountainside. Kukuh felt strangely drawn to the carvings, without knowing why he did it, he walked towards it and sat down. The little light the moon gave him was not enough to actually read anything, but he knew from the day before in front of what name he sat.

"_Avatar Setia… how much I would like to get your advice…"_ He sighed, melancholia took over.

"What do I do when I've got no idea how to actually be an Avatar…" he yammered. "I don't have anyone to tell me what, how or when, and if I'm not able to get to Omashu… I might never find someone. I'm just a kid, I can't do this yet…" He sighed and stood up, walking around a bit. That always helped him to clear his mind, to think straight, but it didn't work that night. "I can't believe this…" he groaned.

"_I should be careful not to wake the others,"_ he though. _"The fact that I can't sleep shouldn't mean they shouldn't sleep as well."_

"Avatar Setia," he pleaded, turning back to the mountainside, "or anyone else, please guide me… I can't do this alone…" Something in him had still hoped for something to happen, a sudden vision, or… well he didn't know what to expect, but he had expected something, yet nothing happened. It made Kukuh wonder how the other Avatars might have done it. He waited a few minutes, but still, nothing.

"_Perhaps I should try to contact them again through meditation," _he thought. _"It'll probably not work, but…"_

He walked over to the Pool of Tears and sat down on the mossy stone in the center. He nearly slipped when stepping on the stone, but he could, even though barely, keep his balance. He sat down and breathed slowly.

"_Patience… that's what Ol'Pong said, perhaps…"_

He opened his eyes, seeing what he'd been seeing before he'd started his meditation. Again, nothing had happened. It was so frustrating, he felt like screaming out loud, so that all his frustration would be gone, but that would be a bad thing to do with all the others being near and, more importantly, asleep. He clenched his fists and jaw, a nearly inaudible scream left his mouth. He recomposed himself surprisingly fast, he breathed in and out, sighed deeply and resumed his meditation.

"_If it has to take all night then, so be it…"_

His posture relaxed, he consented to his situation. Being mad about how his situation was, wouldn't change a thing, he'd finally realized. Where that sudden realization came from, Kukuh didn't know. There was much he didn't know, but now he knew that meant he had much to discover. Not knowing something didn't mean it couldn't be found anywhere. If it was only searched for with enough drive, the answers to the greatest problems would eventually been found.

Kukuh's meditation was disturbed by the intensifying of the sloshing water around him, its sound became more and more intrusive.

"_But wait… why does the water slosh…?"_

He opened his eyes and found himself staring into a pair of strict blue eyes.

"So you finally learned your lesson," he noted, sounding quite severe. "It took you long enough to realize."

"Who are you?" Kukuh asked, observing the broad man in front of him with a certain degree of caution.

"I am you," he said, quickly adding: "partly."

"You are one of my past lives?"

"Yes Kukuh," he said, his tone hadn't changed, "I am Avatar Kalak, the Avatar who came before you. It will be my duty to guide you in your journey to become a fully realized Avatar."

"Why did you wait so long to show yourself to me?" Kukuh asked with a certain degree of hostility. Kalak narrowed his eyes, he flinched a little.

"Don't you patronize me," he said slowly. It nearly sounded as a threat, his tone had become more venomous. "I have been trying to reach out to you earlier, with advice, or warnings, but every time I did so, you ignored me."

"You were the voice?" Kukuh asked in shock.

"Of course I was, who else could have been that voice in your head, trying to guide you?"

"But why…"

"Once it became clear to me that all my attempts to reach out to you would be futile and that you wouldn't listen to me under any circumstance, I waited. Once you needed help, I decided not to answer, because you needed to learn a lesson," Kalak explained, his tone was changing back to how it was when their conversation started. "As the Avatar," he said, "you shouldn't heed the words of anyone trying to reach out to you, not only the people you see around you, but also the spirits whom you might only hear. If there is someone trying to give you advice, don't take his words too light. I did that once, I didn't heed advice given to me and it didn't work out well." He swallowed, it seemed like he regretted it deeply. "Kukuh," he said, now sounding warmer than he had been, "do you understand why I didn't answer you when you pleaded for my help? Do you understand my motivations?"

"I do," Kukuh said, nodding in shame. Kalak was right, he shouldn't have ignored the voice. He felt so stupid, all the time, Kalak had been reaching out for him and he had ignored the person who was trying to help. Instead, he had, in some way, trusted himself more, wanting to do everything by himself.

"Good, good," Kalak approved. "Now that you've learned your lesson, which will be the first of many, why don't you tell me what's been bothering you."


	10. Chapter 10: First Aid

10. First Aid

* * *

Ron'qen, the pearl in a dumpster when it comes to the Central Water Tribe, was situated along a broad, sludgy river, one could barely see a reflection of the faint moonlight in it, spanned by many wooden drawbridges varying in broadness and height. Only the Chief's Bridge differed from the others, the two bases and the broad pillar in the center of the river, were made up out of single pieces of marble, anchored in a strong stone foundation. Whereas the wooden drawbridges hang on thick ropes, the Chief's bridge, consisting of such a heavy wooden walkway, only metal chains would be able to carry the weight. The marble bases were decorated with multiple gargoyles, which spat water from its maw into the river, from which the water was pumped. The bridge could be reached through the means of a ramp for chariots and riders, or a pair of stairs, one to the right side and one to the left; this was the case on each side of the river. The empty space between the ramp and the stairs were filled by a highly decorated, marble sea serpent statue with tendrils and fins of gold. The drawbridge's bases functioned as two gates as well, not only could they draw their part of the bridge up in times of siege, the doorways could be closed off by an iron portcullis, painted white. Above the gateway, the citizens of Ron'qen had applied some inscriptions, set in gold, lit by a few torches hanging from the gate.

"Ron'qen, palace of the chief, home to the unyielding," Manak read out loud. "How quaint, how stupid… a true strategist knows he sometimes will have to yield, so that he might live to fight another day…"

"There is no honor in retreating," a guard commented after overhearing Manak.

"Maybe, but there is no honor in needless death either," Manak replied, leaving the guard flustered. He walked through the gateway, onto the wooden part of the bridge. Manak couldn't tell what type of wood it was, it wasn't a type of wood indigenous to the Western Water Tribe, all he could tell that the walkway was processed by craftsmen from his tribe, or craftsmen originating from the west; he could recognize western craftsmanship anywhere. The walkway itself was divided into four parts, two parts for pedestrians on the far sides of the bridge walkway, two parts, in the center, for chariots and riders. The right side, seen from Manak's position, led into the city on the other side, while the left side led out of it.

The gate on Ron'qen's side of the river bank was grander than the one on the other side, for the sole reason it led straight into the city, which was elevated slightly above the surrounding plains, which were, in turn, surrounded by endless marshes. The city was elevated, because of the extensive sewer system and tunnels constructed underneath the city. What was so special about Ron'qen was that, unlike all the other cities in the world, the sewers of Ron'qen didn't dump the sewage into the nearby river, or any body of water in the city's vicinity. Instead, they led the sewage pipes to a few central points, where everything was collected and left to dry, mixing in some goo from the marshes around the city. The end product would then be removed and sold to the Fire Nation, who would then use it to fertilize their farmlands. Little did the people from the Fire Nation know, that they were using water tribe droppings on their farms. It was a well-kept secret within the Central Water Tribe, only a select few outside the tribe knew about it. Others would never find out, the sewage processing facility was one of the most secure places in the entire Central Water Tribe. The trade in compost and, more importantly, phoenix frog eggs, had made the tribe's capital the richest and most influential city in between Qaanqa and Omashu. That made the harbors of Ron´qen, located more upstream from the Chief´s Bridge, a busy place, every time of the day. Work continued during the night, so that the enormous demands in wares could be met.

Ron´qen itself was filled with fountains, handmade waterfalls and little canals, with water ever streaming, wherever one would look. One could turn around every corner and spot a small garden, or larger ones once one neared the city's center. The city was filled with statues, blossoming trees, fragrant flowers and quaint wooden huts in which people could sit in peace, to read, meditate or write in private.

"_Perfect in case of a siege,"_ Manak noted, seeing the abundance of canals, fountains and water reservoirs around him. _"You're never without water this way."_

The city center was dominated by a large statue of Ghanak the Elder, when the late chief was still young, surrounded by an abundance of flowers, small colorful trees and the greenest grass Manak had ever seen. That didn't say much, however, since Manak had mostly seen sand or snow during his life. He walked around the massive, white statue, which was, like many statues in Ron'qen, hewn from one piece of marble. Manak walked down a long lane, paved neatly, fenced by fences of pure gold, towards a sizeable, but not a massive, palace. It had the shape of a normal house, but it had three levels and was a lot broader than a normal house. The city had impressed Manak so far, and he hadn't even seen it in daylight. That was something for a later moment, he had to get to the chief, Ghanak the Younger, unseen. Luckily, he still bore with him a seal, given to him by Adok, so he could enter the chief's palace without having to identify himself to one of the many guards patrolling around the palace. It also guaranteed him an immediate audience with the chief, even though it was in the middle of the night. That were two perks that came with bearing the Sacred Moon Seal, a seal that was created on a night after Avatar Kalak died, when Ynook had revoked his support for the cause. Adok had realized that they might face more setbacks, especially when the war would start, so he, and his colleagues with him, made sure they had a way to notify each other unhindered and in secret of the most sensitive subjects. Thus, the Sacred Moon Seal came into existence.

* * *

Manak didn't have to wait long in the, what could be called more than impressive, waiting room, he was led before Ghanak's throne after mere moments. The throne room was quite an unusual room. It merely consisted of a marble walkway, leading to a slightly elevated marble throne. The rest of the room was lowered and filled with water, not the sludgy water from the river, but pure water, like the water that flowed through the city. Ghanak yawned, he was still a bit drowsy. After the guards left, Manak took off his hood, revealing his identity to the chief.

"You better have," he yawned again mid-sentence, "a very good reason to wake me in the middle of the night. Speak."

"Highly esteemed chief Ghanak, oh great ruler of the Central Water Tribe," Manak started, kneeling in front of Ghanak's throne.

"Spare me your courtesies, say what you have to say so I can return to sleep," Ghanak groaned.

"Chief Ghanak, I was sent by your colleague, the esteemed chief Adok of the Southern Water Tribe, to ask for a favor," Manak spoke. "The chief wishes to inform you about the successful landings in the south. After the landings, however, the chief received some worrisome messages. A danger lurks within the pre-assigned jurisdiction of the Central Water Tribe, but since you are still in preparation to do your part of the Grand Plan, the chief decided to send me to take care of the problem."

"May I ask, what kind of problem are we dealing with?" Ghanak asked with a certain degree of suspicion. "Since Adok himself deemed it too much for the Central Water Tribe to handle, it must be a problem of quite the size."

"On the contrary, chief Ghanak, but since you're still present here, I presume the Unagi-peninsula hasn't been taken as of yet?" The chief nodded. "The problem is indeed quite substantial, so much that Adok only entrusts the duty of taking care of it to someone he trusts. He would have entrusted it to you, if you hadn't been needed to lead the armies towards Omashu, once the order arrives."

"Is that so? Well, before I can give you permission to proceed, I'd like to know what this… problem is all about," Ghanak said, he wasn't really in the mood to deal with the secretive Manak, he wanted clarity. Typically Manak, Ghanak knew him, all the chiefs did, he was both Zibak and Adok's most praised captain.

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say that, chief Ghanak, Adok marked it as top secret, only he and I may know about it," Manak replied. This was the defining moment, he was lying and if Ghanak noticed, his plans would be foiled. "It's why I showed up in the middle of the night, using the Seal to get in. No one," he said, trying to sound as solemn as he could, "may know that I've been here, nor what my mission is."

"Very well," Ghanak groaned, much to Manak's relief. "That sounds reasonable enough, for as far as showing up in the middle of the night can be called reasonable. Now what is this favor you wanted to ask me?"

"I wanted to ask you, if the Central Water Tribe could provide me with some support, by the means of military force," Manak said hesitantly. Ghanak stared at him in disbelief for some time, before bursting out in laughter.

"I.. heh, I find it… amusing to hear that," he chuckled, "Adok first relieves me of one of my duties, but then asks me to contribute my troops to…"

"Most esteemed chief," Manak interrupted. "Years ago, you and your father agreed to aid the cause, now chief Adok calls upon you to fulfill a part of the bargain. Will you turn your back on your brothers?"

"The cause… point taken Manak…" he groaned. "How many soldiers do you need?"

"Fifty at most, preferably light on their feet," Manak answered.

"So your mission involves a lot of travel," Ghanak deduced. "I will grant you the sixteenth mounted scouts division," Ghanak said. "Don't be fooled by their name, the sixteenth division are light on their feet, mainly used for scouting, but they are very able fighters."

"You are most generous, chief Ghanak," Manak replied thankfully.

"I will send word to…"

"Chief, before you do that," Manak interrupted; Ghanak shot an angry glare at him. "I'd like to say that I planned to leave like I came, in complete anonymity. Leaving with a host during daylight doesn't really equal leaving in anonymity."

"I see," Ghanak responded, "in that case, it would be best for you to leave the night after tomorrow night. There will be no moonlight that night, so you will be able to leave under the cover of darkness, with your small host."

"That sounds agreeable," Manak said.

"For the time being, I'll allow you to stay in one of my personal prisons to which only I have access, so that no living soul in my palace will know about your stay here in Ron'qen."

"That's most generous of you, chief Ghanak," Manak said, standing up. Ghanak gestured to follow him and so he did. Ghanak brought him to one of his personal prisons, wishing him a good rest. The prison was quite luxurious, a comfortable bed and enough food to last for at least a week. The single room was also accommodated with the utilities needed for proper hygiene. Manak let himself fall down on the bed, falling into a deep sleep after moments. It was for the first time since weeks he was lying in a proper bed.

* * *

They had been walking for an hour, the three of them being Kukuh, Sali and Ol'Pong, when they finally met up with Sen and Ling again, who had been scouting ahead to see if no threats were ahead. Their faces bore a sorrowful expression, they had seen something horrific on their way.

"What's wrong?" Ol'Pong immediately asked, sensing trouble.

"The village is on fire, it's nearly entirely ruined," Ling answered, pointing to the smoke rising from behind a mountain ridge.

"Oh no…" Ol'Pong mumbled, he massaged his bald head, which helped him think. "Are there soldiers nearby?" he asked.

"No, that's the weird thing, there is absolutely no sign of life in the area around the village," Sen said. "The only thing around is that village and the fire."

"What do we do?" Ling asked, expecting an answer from either Ol'Pong or Kukuh.

"I say we proceed with caution," Ol'Pong said, "but we should refrain from passing through Fu Dao, since it seems we won't be as safe there as I thought."

"No," Kukuh objected, "we should go to Fu Dao and look for survivors. If we won't find any, we take with us the things we need."

"Kukuh," Ol'Pong tried to reason with the Avatar, "I think that's too much of a risk to take. What if there are southern warriors waiting in the village to ambush you, once you take their bait?"

"It's no trap Ol'Pong," Kukuh said. Ol'Pong wanted to object, but hearing the certainty in the Avatar's voice, he refrained from doing so. Kukuh was different, not only different compared to one day ago, but different overall from how he knew him when they'd met. He seemed to be more confident of himself, more willing to take decisions by himself. Ol'Pong could only guess about what had made Kukuh so much different. His guess was that Kukuh had met with Kalak, maybe during the night. Kukuh had been up early, so a nighttime conversation with one of his past lives could be very realistic. It was good news, to Ol'Pong, that Kukuh had connected to his past life. Now, he had the advice of one of the world's most skilled Avatars of all time, his wisdom and experiences.

"So it's onto Fu Dao?" Sen asked.

"Yes," Ol'Pong answered after Kukuh didn't. "But we won't be staying there for too long. We get in, we look around and we get out as fast as we can. Is that alright with you, Kukuh?"

"Yes, but if we find someone, I insist on helping that person. I'll promise it to the ancestors," Kukuh replied.

"I doubt we will find anyone," Sen said, "it looks like an onslaught."

"We'll see when we get there," Ol'Pong responded. He had to agree with Sen, and to be honest, he hoped that they wouldn't find anyone and if they would, he hoped that person would be dead. Kukuh was now so confident, he wouldn't back down from the promise he just made to his ancestors, no matter what danger he would have to face.

* * *

They arrived in Fu Dao late in the morning, the village itself was centered around a crossroad. One could leave the village in four directions, the first would lead back to the mountains, the second would lead into the Si Wong desert, the third would lead to the next village on the Arid Plains and the fourth would bring you to Central Water Tribe territory. So far, neither Ol'Pong or Kukuh had said anything about what route to take and only the former had given it a little thought. They walked through the main street, coming from the south. Looking around, the damage became more clear, more real. The sizeable village was ruined, everywhere they looked they could see ravaged buildings, flaming roofs and piles of rubble.

"What happened here?" Sali wondered out loud.

"Let's find out," Kukuh said. "Let's split up to cover ground faster. Search every house and every basement. Look under every piece of rubble!"

The group fanned out, spreading through the village. Kukuh took the main streets to the west, scouring every house he could get into. Halfway through the street, Kukuh barged through the door of a partly stone, partly wooden house. The roof, which was made of wood, was on fire and there were cracks in the stone walls. The house was completely empty, the floor, which was of stone covered in a layer of sand, showed some signs of struggle. Footprints of different sizes and depths were scattered through the room in an illogical pattern. Kukuh's attention was drawn by an imprint of a fist in the stone wall, cracks went outwards of that epicenter.

"_This wasn't caused by a water bender,"_ he thought, _"nor one of the southern warriors either… this was caused by earth benders. But if the enemy isn't responsible for this, and some earth benders are… who would those earth benders be. Bandits?"_

He walked up the stairs, which led onto the flat part of the roof. That flat part was used, in better days, to access the triangular part of the roof when it needed repairs. As Kukuh stood there, he looked right into the fire. What stood out most, was that the fire had been set by torches, which meant that, if Fu Dao had been attacked by bandits, they were indigenous to the Earth Kingdom. Only a fire bender or an earth bender could have caused the fist-imprint in the wall downstairs, but since the fire was started by a torch it would mean that the bandits were of Earth Kingdom origin.

"_Why would you attack your own people?" _Kukuh wondered, walking down the stairs. There was no point in trying to stop the fire, he had no water with him to extinguish it and even if he had, water was too valuable to spill. Kukuh had given the route to take some thought and he deemed it best to take the longer route, which meant spending a lot of time on the Arid Plains where water was scarce and very valuable.

"_The fire wasn't started that long ago… that explains how Ling didn't see all this yesterday… This probably happened early this morning, when we left Mount Mourning."_

"Everyone, come over here!" Kukuh heard Ol'Pong call from the village's center, the crossing of the two main streets. Kukuh hurried outside, Ol'Pong, or someone else, might have found someone or something which could provide some answers.

"Kukuh, good you're here," Ol'Pong said, while Ling and Sali showed up as well. Sen stood next to Ol'Pong, holding the hand of a very young boy, someone not older than five years. "Sen found someone who might be able to tell us what has happened."

"Why don't you tell us what happened," Sen said, kneeling down next to the boy.

"Don't be afraid," Sali said, smiling warmly at the boy, seeing his hesitance, "we're here to help you."

"Bad men took my mommy," he said, shyly looking away.

"What do you mean bad me…" Ling was interrupted by Kukuh, who asked a different question, knowing that the boy was unable to give the more detailed answer Ling craved.

"Where did they take your mom?"

"The bad men went that way," the boy answered without doubt, pointing in the direction of the Si Wong desert.

"Oh boy," Ol'Pong sighed, "this is going to get tough." There was no way he would make it into far into the desert. If Kukuh wanted to help that child, he would have to do so without his help.

"We'll get your mommy back," Kukuh said to the child, looking at his friends in search of support. They all nodded at him, giving their support, everyone but Ol'Pong. "You won't help Ol'Pong?"

"I don't think I will hold out long in that desert, so I will sit this one out," he justified. "I won't just lean back though, I will set up a hospice to treat the wounded, so that once you get back, the wounded can be tended to."

"Alright then, good luck with that."

"Good luck to you too Kukuh, and be careful."

* * *

"This way," the boy said, running ahead of the group, minus Ol'Pong who stayed behind. They ran after him, through the loose sand of the Si Wong desert. Fu Dao was located near the transition of the Arid Plains to the Si Wong desert, so it had been only a fifteen minute walk so far.

"Is it far?" Sali asked, easily keeping up with the young boy, even though she had been having trouble walking over the past days; it looked like she had fully recovered.

"No," the boy chirped, "we are close to mommy."

"How would he know?" Ling wondered out loud.

"I think that he was actually taken captive, but he escaped," Sen answered.

"He probably came back to the village because that's the only thing he knew," Kukuh added. He felt bad for the boy, it must have been hard to come back to your home village and find it in ruins like that. It must have felt the same as to how he felt, although the boy might not understand it as much as he himself did. "Where did you find him?" he asked Sen.

"Actually, the kid found me," Sen answered. "He stood on the end of the main street."

"So he'd just gotten back…" Ling concluded.

"_That's what I expected, that would mean the raid actually took place early this morning."_

Once they reached the top of the first sand dune, when they could look over what lied beyond. There, they could see a small camp, swarming with men clothed in grey tunics and wound up patches of white cloth, resembling bandages. Some of the villagers were imprisoned in wooden cages, hanging above the desert sands, cooking in the hot sun. Other were kept in the camp where the women functioned as slaves and where the men where hit, kicked or tortured, seemingly for the amusement of their captors, en masse. Not only did they inflict such horrors on the grown, adult men, but also on the children. Infants weren't spared as well, they had been put in a smaller cage, far away from their mothers, where they cried as the men who walk past them, spat on them. Screams of anguish, coming from the tents in and around the camp, hinted on things so degrading and horrible, that Sen, Ling and Kukuh were left in the dark of what horrors were taking place there. Sali, however, knew, for she had nearly been in a similar situation, when Hia-Pao was invaded. It stirred a great rage inside of her, one she could hardly surpress.

"We have to do something," she hissed. "This is barbaric."

"I can't believe how you could do something like that to your own people," Kukuh whispered in disbelief. He had to turn his attention to the matter at hand though, so he turned to the boy who had brought them thus far. "Go back to your village," he spoke, "the old man will take care of you until we get back with your mommy."

"Okay," the child smiled, "and will you bring daddy back as well?"

"I will," Kukuh promised and rose to his feet –he had been kneeling to get on eye height with the child. The child ran back to the village, still cheerful, probably because he didn't have the slightest idea what horrors he had witnessed and, most importantly, evaded due to his escape.

"What now?" Ling asked to no one in particular, once the child was well on his way back.

"Now we're going to make them feel sorry for ever raiding that village," Sali said, spitting in the camp's direction.

"You know, I had figured that out already, I was meaning on how we're planning to do that."

Kukuh thought, which gave Sen the possibility to suggest something: "I say that someone walks up to that camp and let himself get captured. That will cause a stir, since I think those criminals think they'd captured everyone. They will bring that person to one of those cages to lock that person away to sort out what happened. The moment they open one of those cages, we strike."

"Why don't we strike earlier?" Ling asked.

"When they open one of those cages, they might forget to close it once they're under attack. That way, the villagers can aid us, or at least free the others and escape back to the village," Sen answered.

"I'll go," Sali immediately volunteered, even though the others hadn't even supported Sen's plan.

"Shouldn't we discuss that first?" Kukuh asked, getting an angry glare from her in response. She got up and ran down the dune, stumbling and nearly falling, until she was at its foot. From there, knowing that no one would stop her now, she walked in a slow, but confident pace to the raiders' camp.

"We should stay close," Sen said, following Sali's example, "but we should stay hidden from the raiders' sight." They followed Sali, but kept a low profile, hiding behind smaller sand dunes that surrounded the raiders' camp.

* * *

The moment Sali stepped into the camp, the raiders' were in total shock. They were quick to act though, forming a circle around Sali and taking her captive. The way they did it revealed who the raiders were. They use sand bending to anchor Sali's feet in the desert sands, after which two strong men grabbed her by her arms. The sand around her feet loosened, so that the men could take her to the cages without much ado.

"Sand benders…" Sen whispered.

"You know what those are?" Kukuh asked.

"I only read about them," Sen answered. "They can bend sand and they live throughout the Si Wong desert in small tribes."

"But why would they start raiding villages on the Arid Plains?" Ling asked.

"I don't know, but according to what I've read, the sand benders are very isolationistic and they have criminal tendencies when they're introduced to life outside of the Si Wong desert."

"Criminal tendencies is a lot different from barbarism…" Kukuh commented.

"_It's good we took the Steep Path. If we hadn't, we would never have known about what's happening here. Now we do, and we can stop it."_

"Who are you, girl!?" Kukuh heard a sand bender boom from far away, it seemed to be the chief since he came walking out of the largest tent in the camp. Two men went inside and brought out with them two girls, slightly older than himself, but not older than sixteen. They looked like walking corpses, they must have had experienced something horrible beyond belief.

"I was going to ask you the same thing, pig," Sali hissed. "But I can clearly see that you're a worthless piece of…"

She couldn't finish her sentence, she was struck by a man standing near her, who chastised her afterwards saying: "Do not speak dishonorable words to the chief!"

"Would that matter, it seems he has dishonored himself by forcing himself onto those girls," she retorted. Her remark was met by roaring laughs from all of the surrounding men, including the one they called the chief.

"Stupid, naïve girl," the chief said, chuckling darkly, "I was merely appropriating what I conquered. You can't call that dishonorable, it's just the way things work in life. Doesn't the saying go, you reap what you sow? Well, I sowed in Fu Dao, now I'm reaping its treasures."

"Taking the 'e' away would result in a more truthful explanation of what you did," Sali remarked bitterly.

"Oh, is that so? And all that while everything that happened was consensual," he pouted, grinning afterwards.

"How so?"

"Well, the way I see it, they shouldn't have let themselves get captured. Because they did let themselves get captured, they showed that they wanted me to do that to them."

"You're a pig," she said, spitting in front of his feet.

"And you are my prisoner now," he responded. He turned around, walking back to his tent. "I'll enjoy taming you. Throw her into the women's prison, I'll have her when I'm ready," he shouted, ordering his men to do as he wished.

"I'll have you gutted before you'll ever come close to me," Sali muttered so no one would hear what she said. Truth be told, the man's words had frightened her, but her disgust, let alone her rage, were greater than her fear of him. She had enough adrenaline pumping through her veins to break free from the two men holding her, but where would she run? She had given her waterskin to Kukuh moment before she ran down the sand dune, so once she would run, she would have nothing to keep the sand benders at bay, while they had enough sand to their disposal. The only thing she could hope for is that Sen, Ling and Kukuh were able sand benders, otherwise they would be in great trouble.

Three men escorted her to the women's cage, the already imprisoned women were in bad shape, Sali could see from afar. While two men kept a firm hold of her, the third man unlocked the door to the cage. That was the signal, Sali jumped up, landing with both her heels on her captors' toes, jerking herself free from their grasp at the same time. The sudden pain in their toes weakened their grip on Sali a little, which was enough for her to break free. Before the third man realized what had happened, she had hit him on the back of his head with as much force as she could deliver. It was enough to send him crashing into one of the cage's steel bars, knocking him out cold. The women looked onto Sali, how she turned her attention to the two men who'd previously held her.

"Get out," she yelled at the women, "free the others and flee to Fu Dao. Help is here!"

* * *

"Mountains, mountains, everywhere I look I see those freaking mountains!" Kun screamed in anger. He was fed up with walking the mountain paths, even though he didn't have to do it all on his feet, he could ride parts on his polar dog's back. He had a few obstacles to get past, first some ridiculously high stairs and then a hanging bridge that had partly collapsed. He got around the latter by taking a detour, but that had cost him a day worth of travel. According to his maps, he was now a day away from the nearest village called Fu Dao if he were to follow a straight line. More important was that he was a days behind on the Avatar, whereas he should have gotten closer to the Avatar by now. He was glad the detour hadn't set him back even further. He took a moment to admire the view around him, even though he couldn't, after which he sat down to write a letter to Manak, to give him an update on his whereabouts.

"_Captain,_

_I've followed the Subject through the mountains, but I had to take a detour after the Subject had taken some measures to slow me down. I'm still one day behind on the Subject, but I believe I have an unhindered journey ahead of me now, so I will gain in on the Subject from now on. I have analyzed the maps of the surroundings of Fu Dao. The Subject will most likely take the route through the Arid Plains, or in between the Plains and the Central Water Tribe territory. I have found a forest on the map which is on the latter route and still close to the former route. I propose we meet up there so we can continue the hunt together. I will gather information on what route the Avatar has taken in Fu Dao._

_Furthermore, I hope talks with chief Ghanak the Younger have went smoothly. I hope he has given you the resources you craved, so we can continue the hunt in sizeable force, here beyond our own lines. I can only say that with each passing day, I become more confident. I know that one day, we will succeed our mission, bringing glory to the tribes and sealing the Earth Kingdom's fate. We will be hailed heroes, our honor will be restored with our positions in the hierarchy. We will reap the rewards after our hardship._

_I greet you from the Changcheng Mountains,_

_Lieutenant in the Grand Southern Army,_

_Kun."_

* * *

The chaos caused by Sali was the start sign for Kukuh, Ling and Sen to engage and so they did. Ling had no trouble bending the plentiful sand around him, nor did he have trouble to stand against the far more experienced sand benders. He fought into a straight line towards the men's cage, looking for a way to set them free in the process. Sen ran for the circle in which the unbound men were being abused, using two whips of compressed sand to fight off the sand benders in his way. Kukuh, having trouble with bending sand at first, had a different priority. He ran for Sali, holding her waterskin in his hand. He jumped over a sand bender lunging for him, calling out for Sali while throwing her waterskin at her. Sali heard him in time, catching her waterskin without much ado. She smirked, now she was armed, now she could really deal some damage. She knew exactly who would be her first victim, namely the agitated chief who had just stormed out of his tent to see what was going on in his camp. Kukuh stopped her, he held her back, giving her the order to bring the women to Fu Dao in safety.

"He has the higher ground here, Sali," Kukuh said. "It's so hot here, your water bending won't be as effective."

"You won't hold me back," she hissed at him. She wasn't like herself again, like she had been when he met up with her after the invasion.

"I will," Kukuh said, holding onto her. "Calm down, think. These women won't make it if you don't protect them. Imagine what those men will do to them, once they're caught again."

"It'll be like a license to do even more horrible things to them…"

"But if you're there to protect them, you'll be more helpful than when you're trying to take down their chief," Kukuh said. "Go!" Sali ran off, guiding the women with her. Kukuh focused on the matter at hand. Sen was having some trouble fighting off a big group, even though he had some support of the men who were still able enough to fight. The trouble was that none of them really seemed to be able to bend, so Sen only had assistance when it came to hand to hand combat. Unfortunately, the majority of the raiders seemed to be benders, which meant the rescued men were quite useless. Sen realized it and told them to run for Fu Dao, together with the escaping women. He spend the time after that dodging an increasing amount of attack directed towards him, seeing as the number of attackers grew as well.

Ling was having far less trouble, he easily dodged any attacks directed towards him, retaliating with great force. His movements weren't as natural as they had been, because he hadn't trained as much since the invasion, but it was sufficient enough to stand his ground. He noticed that the man he was fighting held the key to unlock the cage holding the men, the people he had to set free so that all captives would have been rescued. He moved closer to his opponent with each attack the man threw at him. When he got closer, he sank the man's feet into the sand with only a little twist of his hand. The man hadn't expected it, Ling hadn't thrown a single attack at him. In the short moment the man was overcome by surprise, Ling snatched the cage's key from his belt and ran for the men's cage. The man freed himself, he was a sand bender so he could, and tried to stop Ling from freeing the men. He was too late, before he had himself freed, Ling had opened the cage. Some men had anxiously waited for Ling to free them and as he opened the cage door, they barged out and threw themselves at the sand bender who'd just freed himself. The man didn't survive, he died at the hands of his previous captives as they unleashed the rage they'd built up over the time they'd been held captive. Some men helped Ling to fight off other sand benders afterwards, while others took the younger boys with them and ran for Fu Dao. Sen joined in, taking in a position next to Ling. They were outnumbered, not only in numbers but also in skill and they knew it. They wouldn't hold out long, even more so since the chief was enraged seeing all what was happening. With only a few subtle movement of his hand, he floored half of them, throwing them to the ground due to sudden shifting sands, or sinking them into the sand almost entirely. The chief formed a whip of compressed sand, one like Sen had used before, and lashed out against Sen, hitting him on his right knee. Ling, who stood next to him could hear the loud crack on impact, Sen's kneecap shattered. With a loud scream, Sen fell to the ground, grabbing his knee. He rolled around in intense pain, as the chief landed another hit on him, on his shoulder, this time it packed less of a punch. Ling just stood there, nailed to the ground. The chief approached him, he was the only one left standing, with his knife drawn. He was about to plunge it into Ling's lower abdomen, but out of a sudden, he fell to the ground, blood trickled from his temple. He just lied there, at Ling's feet, who didn't know what had just happened. Ling looked to his side, far away stood Kukuh. He looked different from how he'd look normally. Ling knew Kukuh only as a gentle person, one never to hurt another. Now, he looked unemotional, aware of what he had done, but not like he felt sorry about it. He actually looked relieved, having killed someone at last.

It was how Kukuh felt, relieved. It was true, he'd never killed someone before. The others had, during the invasion, but he hadn't. Sure, he had fought in the aftermath of the invasion, but he only knocked his enemies out cold, he never killed them. Life was sacred in his view, but the lives of his friends were more important to him than that of a barbaric, abusive sand bending chief trying to kill his friends. That logical approach on what had happened, kept Kukuh calm. He realized too, that this was only the beginning. They were at war with the Southern Water Tribe, it would only be a matter of time before he had to kill someone, if it wasn't to secure his own safety, it would be to end the war in the future. He now had enough time afterwards to process what he had done. Killing someone would surely have some mental, emotional consequences. Now, it wasn't the time to think about it, it was time to leave, now that the entire band of raiders were in disarray, following the death of their chief. Ling knew that too, he freed the men who had sank into the sand, he helped up those who'd fallen and, together with Kukuh, he helped Sen get up, running with him clinging onto them, towards Fu Dao. Sen screamed in agony, Kukuh looked at his knee, it didn't look well. They couldn't slow down, they had to run for Fu Dao in a straight line without ever stopping. Now that the raiders were too busy infighting over leadership, the fight ensued the moment they ran, they had to use it to distance themselves from them as much as possible. They ran, for as far as they could run, up the sand dune. Reaching its top, Fu Dao laid at the horizon. The group of escapees could be seen running towards the village, they'd actually made a lot of progress. It left Kukuh wondering on how long he'd been staring at the chief's lifeless body.

"Sen, you're not going to like this," Ling said to his friend, "but we're going to have to slide down this dune to get down as fast as possible."

"Just do it," Sen groaned. "The earlier we get to Fu Dao, the earlier Ol'Pong can have a look at my knee." He paused for a second. "Does it look bad?" he asked.

"Don't know Sen," Ling answered, "I never really took the time to admire your knees, but looking at the intact knee… it doesn't look pretty."

"I could feel as much…" Sen mumbled.

"I meant that a shattered knee would probably be an improvement," Ling joked. Sen chuckled grimly, Kukuh and Ling lowered him onto the ground and slid down the dune with him. Sen wanted to scream again, as loud as he could, but he kept himself from doing so. What use would it be? He'd only end up having a sore throat as well.

* * *

"Alright, all the wounded can come in here," Ol'Pong yelled from the doorstep of what used to be the meeting hall. He'd set up all kind of beds, tables and chairs for the wounded together with the boy his companions had sent back. He'd searched through a lot of houses, hoping to find bandages and herbs, he'd found both and as a bonus, a few canisters of fresh water. That was quite a luxury for a village like Fu Dao. Sure, they had a well, but the water welled there was filthy and had to be distillated before it could be drank, or used to clean wounds. First, the women streamed into the village, carrying with them little girls. Their wounds were superficial, but mostly wounds of the mind, considering what some of them had experienced on the hands of the raiders. As he took care of some of the teenage girls, they told him of the horrors they'd been through. It made the old man feel sick, he just couldn't grasp the idea of how your kin would inflicts such horrors upon you. It was a bitter reality though, Ol'Pong realized, heating up a cup of water above a small fire he'd started. He poured some of the hot water over the wound, cleaning it and tending to it with herbs and a small bandage. Sali barged in and started to tend to other women who were in need of assistance. The few women that hadn't been wounded, or weren't completely exhausted, helped as well, transforming the once so empty meeting hall into a busy hospice. As the time passed, the village became more crowded. The men arrived as well, they were in worse shape than the women. Fortunately, they'd finished tending to the women in time, so they could pay all their attention to the men, who'd taken the young boys with them as the women had done to the girls. The hospice filled faster than it had with the women. The men's wounds were worse, they didn't have superficial wounds, but deep flesh wounds, broken arms or shattered feet. Others had bleeding head wounds, while some men seemed to suffer from internal bleedings.

"We won't be able to save all of them Sali," Ol'Pong sighed. "Some of their wounds are beyond what I can fix."

When Kukuh and Ling came in with Sen hanging on their shoulders, the shock was complete. Ol'Pong rushed towards them, instructing Ling and Kukuh to lay Sen down on a table in the hall's corner, which they did. Ol'Pong finished binding a man's leg and turned his attention to Sen.

"His kneecap is shattered," he concluded after glancing at Sen's knee. "His shoulder is fine, it will bruise a little, but it isn't broken, but his knee… I doubt I can do anything about it. I also doubt if he'll ever recover from it."

"What do you mean?" a fearful Sen asked.

"I fear that you won't be able to walk like a normal person ever again," Ol'Pong answered, adding: "The question is if you'll ever be able to walk again. If so, you will limb for the rest of your life, though I doubt that you'll ever walk after today." Sen felt like crying, but he fought against his tears.

"What's this?" Ling asked, pointing at a red bump above Sen's fractured knee, near his inner thigh.

"That's strange…" Ol'Pong mumbled, "it throbs a litt… oh no!"

"What?" Sen asked anxiously, he started to panic.

"Give me some hot water and some steamed cloth," Ol'Pong commanded. Ling immediately supplied the old man with what he needed. "I think a bone fracture has punctured his thigh's artery."

"How bad is that?" Sen asked, visibly panicked.

"I won't lie Sen, it can be lethal if we don't act soon. I'm going to try to stop blood from running towards this leg, otherwise you will bleed out."

"I don't want that…" Sen mumbled panicky.

"I'm going to tie this rope around the upper part of your thigh. I hope it will pinch your artery shut."

"And if it doesn't work?"

"It has to work," Ol'Pong said. His answer spoke for itself. Ol'Pong tied a rope around Sen's upper leg, as tight as he could. He placed two of his fingers on the bump to see if it was still throbbing; that was the case. By that time, Sali stood near Sen, having ceased helping the other wounded. "It isn't working," Ol'Pong noted. "I'm sorry Sen."

"What?" Sen cried. "I'm going to die?" Sali put her hand over the bump, she too felt its throbbing. Tears came to her eyes, and to that of her friends.

"I fear…" Ol'Pong said hoarsely, the teenagers had really grown on him, more than he'd expected. "I fear it's time to say goodbye to Sen."

"No," Sali sobbed, rubbing softly over the spot of Sen's internal bleeding. Sen's face had turned whiter than white, not because of fear, but because he was losing blood rapidly.

"I don't want to die yet…" Sen said. "I still got to bring Kukuh to Omashu…" He sighed, it looked like it was his last breath, until suddenly his leg started to glow around Sali's hands. Upon further inspection, it wasn't his leg that was glowing, it was the water around it.

"Amazing…" Ol'Pong gasped. "She's a healer…" Ol'Pong wasn't the only one who was astonished, Kukuh and Ling spectated with mouths opened. Sali too didn't know exactly what was happening, but she could feel the bump underneath her hand slumping. "Move your hand down to his knee," Ol'Pong whispered in Sali's ear, encouraging her. She did as he told her, she moved her hand down to Sen's knee. The glow moved down as well, Sali realized it was she who was causing the glow. After a while, Ol'Pong told her she could stop and so she did. The four of them stared at Sen, who was now breathing peacefully.

"He seems to be doing alright now," Ling said, sighing of relief.

"Good job Sali, that was amazing," Kukuh said, smiling at her.

* * *

Night fell over Fu Dao, the village had calmed down after a rough day. The fires were extinguished, but the mess was everything but cleared. The meeting hall was still filled with the wounded, including Sen, who'd woken up briefly. He'd been so happy after he was told his life was saved, he'd been so thankful, thanking Sali over and over again till he fell asleep. Sali, Kukuh and Ling had fallen asleep too, the day had been long and tiring for them, but satisfying at the same time. Kukuh had been especially happy, since he had proven to himself once again that, even though he had so much help from his friends, he was able to help those who needed it. More and more, he was starting to feel like the Avatar, even more so since he now had the help of Kalak, his past life.

He put down his tools, after more than half a day of taking care of the wounded, the old man now finally had some time for himself. He tiptoed out of the meeting hall, stepping into the dark night. The moon was nearly gone, a thin crescent remained, but it, in combination with the starlight, was far from enough to shed some light on what was on the road in front of him. He walked out of the village, onto the open plains until he reached a large boulder. He smiled, he'd been on that very spot multiple times over the past thirteen years. He walked around the boulder, it was still there, a dovecote. He'd built it there, thirteen years ago, when on his journey from Omashu to Gaoling. Everything he'd planned out so far was paying off. The villagers of Fu Dao had taken good care of the doves. He took out one of the doves and attached a piece of paper to its leg. It was a message he'd written earlier, as soon as his companions had fallen asleep. He'd summarized the journey so far, and he'd given a summary of the next steps to take; the Earth King would be pleased. The mission the Earth King had given Sipong was working out so far. The hardest part wouldn't be the journey to Omashu, Sipong knew, it would be far harder to escape the clutches of the king of Omashu. King Batu wouldn't easily let go of the Avatar, especially if the Avatar planned on going to Ba Sing Se. The journey to Omashu, it felt like the journey was over already. Even though he knew that danger was always around, the hardest part of the journey was over, they didn't have to face an incoming army of southern warriors, it was now just a case of keeping ahead of them. He bent the boulder out of its original spot, revealing a shallow hole in the ground. There it was, his uniform, the uniform of the Royal Secret Agency. It would have to come with him now, he would need it in Omashu, in case king Batu will start to become a problem. With the authority of the Earth King, he could undo every order Batu would make. You'll never know how important that could be.

"Long may the Earth King reign," Sipong mumbled, kissing the picture of Earth King Yi Ming in his locket, before putting the boulder back in its place and walking back to the village with his uniform in his arms. Back in the meeting hall turned into hospice, he stashed his uniform in his bag and lied down on the floor. He finally had some time to sleep, all was done, all was well.


	11. Chapter 11: Hunter and the Prey

11. Hunter and the Prey

* * *

"Ah, the smell of the forest is amazing," Ol'Pong inhaled the fresh air more than willingly. Over the past few days, the group had been crossing the Arid Plains, so the forest was a welcome change. The forest was what separated the Arid Plains from the Central Water Tribe and it stretched from the Changcheng Mountains, several hundreds of miles to the north, but it didn't cover the entire eastern border of the Central Water Tribe. After a short discussion on the morning they left Fu Dao, only one day after they'd arrived there, Kukuh had chosen not the longest, nor the shortest route, but the route that was in between. The route led partly through the Arid Plains, which they'd crossed by now, partly through the forest and finally, along the Long Road, the highway leading from the Central Water Tribe to Omashu. There wasn't much that could go wrong now, Ol'Pong judged. They had replenished their supplies, they have had a good rest in Fu Dao and they possessed bandages and some herbs, might they find themselves in need for them. It wasn't that necessary anymore, since Sali now knew she was a healer, but one can better be safe than sorry.

"Guys," Sen called from the other side of the clearing which was home to their camp, "we've got a bit of a problem."

"What's wrong?" Ling asked as the group gathered around Sen. He held within his hands the basket in which they'd stored some of their provisions. It was empty, plundered, probably by wild animals.

"That basket was supposed to be hanging on that rope," Sali said angrily, pointing at a piece of rope hanging from a tree nearby.

"It was," Sen said, nearly apologetic, "I only just took it from the rope."

"That's strange…" Ol'Pong commented, "what kind of animal would be able to steal food out of a basket hanging from a tree."

"Maybe it wasn't an animal," Kukuh suggested. "Maybe we just got mugged."

The conversation was abruptly stopped by the sudden rustling of leaves in a bush, not far from them. What followed was the sound of metal clanging against metal and a high-pitched scream, coming from an animal. They all rushed through the bush to find a fluffy dwarf deer stuck in a metal trap.

"Poor thing," Kukuh said with compassion. "We need to set it free."

"Alright, out of the way," Ling said, kneeling down next to the trap. He fumbled his fingers in between the little space of the trap's metal teeth, applying enough force to enlarge the gap enough to set the poor animal free. He quickly withdrew his fingers once the beast was out, the metal trap clanged together. "Oof, imagine your fingers being stuck within that trap." The animal limped away, Sen wanted to catch it, but Ol'Pong said it would be better to let the beast cope with its wounds by itself, human interference might do more damage than one could imagine.

"Guys…" Sali stammered, "c-come look over here…" They walked up to where she stood and were shocked once they saw what had flustered Sali. They saw numerous traps, some hanging from the tree, others placed on the ground. Some were made of metal, others of wood, but they had one thing in common. All of them had trapped an animal and all of those animals were dead.

"Poachers…" Ol'Pong said with much dismay.

"Who would do such things to these poor animals?" Sali asked, she was somewhat taken aback by the sight of the dead animals.

"I don't have a problem with poachers in general," Ol'Pong said, "as long as they respect the animals they're after. The poachers of Gaofang for example, treat their prey in a humane manner, but this… this is just excessive…"

"Look," Ling said, having walked up closer to the dead animals, "they didn't die of starvation, their throats were slit and they were left here to bleed out."

"The cuts look fresh," Ol'Pong said, "which means that the person who did this, probably relieved us of some of our provisions."

"So if we find the poacher, we find our food?"

"Exactly."

"In that case, I say we don't spend another minute dallying here. We should search for that poacher immediately and put an end to what he's doing," Kukuh decided.

"But which trail do we follow? I count two," Sali said. She was right, there were two trails of footprints left behind, bringing the group to the conclusion that they were dealing with more than one poacher. They couldn't blindly pick one of the trails, so they decided to split up. Sen and Kukuh would follow the right trail, while Sali and Ling would follow the left trail. Ol'Pong would break down camp and walk the route as intended. The group would meet up again at a clearing about a hundred miles to the north. And so the group split up, each group with their own mission.

* * *

It was such a glorious feeling to be welcomed with the élan of that day, the day prince Akkik arrived in the harbor of Ron'qen, the capital of the Central Water Tribe. Once chief Ghanak the Younger had heard of their impending arrival, he'd insisted upon attending the mooring of their ship and the welcoming ceremony personally. After the welcoming ceremony, chief Ghanak informed Akkik that he and Kala were to stay in his palace for the coming nights, for as long as they wanted to stay. He also invited the two of them for dinner in his private quarters.

So there they sat, in Ghanak's private dining hall. The room was entirely made of marble, half the room was flooded, like Ghanak's throne room, and the parts of the room which weren't, were covered in soft, warm, blue colored carpets. The dining table itself was made out of marble and a dark blue table cloth draped down from its heads. It wasn't a large piece of furniture, both heads were close to each other, which gave the impression the table wasn't often used to receive guests but served as table when dining with intimates. It was awkward at first, according to Kala, both she and Akkik had been silent during the first course and Ghanak had been observing them for the entire duration. When he started talking, it became even worse. His intentions for inviting the both of them had been unclear at first. Inviting Akkik made sense, he was of royalty, but she wasn't. During the main course, Ghanak finally opened his mouth, yet he didn't reveal why he had sent for both of them. It was just some small talk, nothing important was discussed. During dessert, however, the conversation turned more businesslike; the war was the main point of discussion.

"Have you received word from my father yet?" Akkik asked, hoping to find out when Ghanak and the Central Water Tribe would join in the fight.

"No," Ghanak answered casually. "Not yet, but my forces stand ready and they're eager."

"Good, they'd better be," Akkik commented.

"Ironically," Ghanak said, turning his attention to Kala, "your father asked me the same thing when he was here, only a few days ago."

"So he was here?" Akkik asked, sounding more surprised than he should. Kala's earlier suspicion had been confirmed, Akkik had been lying. She glared angrily at Akkik, but he was too caught up in the conversation to notice it.

"Oh yes, but he left a few days before you arrived," Ghanak answered.

"Why was he here?"

"Shouldn't you know?" Ghanak asked, becoming more suspicious. "Your father sent him and as his son…"

"Well, my father doesn't really discuss his plans with me," Akkik responded. His answer soothed Ghanak's suspicions, Akkik's reason for not knowing was satisfactory. After dessert, it was time to take out the wines and other alcoholic beverages, as according to Central Water Tribe culture. After a while, Ghanak started complimenting both her and Akkik, sipping away one glass of wine after another. The complementing turned into outright seduction afterwards as Ghanak started becoming more and more drunk. He proposed things that night that were not of a chief's stature. Akkik and Kala withdrew from the dining room, leaving Ghanak enraged in his drunkenness.

The next day, at breakfast in the main dining hall, the chief acted like nothing had happened. According to some of the servants walking around the palace, Ghanak had a problem with alcohol. Not only would he start acting out of his mind, he would also have forgotten about it the next day. Ghanak offered them to stay for as long as they wished that morning, to which they hesitantly obliged. It led to another awkward moment, because the conversation about the war and Kala's father seemed to repeat. Once again, he mentioned that Manak had been in Ron'qen and had visited him in secret. He told them how Manak had left in the middle of the night, under the cover of darkness, with a small host of warriors, setting out on a course towards the Arid Plains. This time, Akkik could act like he knew about Manak being sent to Ron'qen, but that he said that he didn't know the contents of Manak's mission. That seemed to correspond with what Manak had told the chief, because the latter didn't address that point, instead he nodded and leaned back contently.

"I'm quite pleased," he said, "to have some more people I can relate to walking through the halls of this grand palace. Ever since my father passed away, it had felt so empty, so cold." Talking about his father, his voice hinted on the vast sadness that hid beneath his dazzling smile. Chief Ghanak, being in his prime, was actually quite handsome when he was sober. He looked a lot like his father had when he was young, which was evident when you'd look at the late chief's statue in Ron'qen's center. That great marble statue was hewn in honor of Ghanak the Elder's thirtieth birthday. It had, had a place in the palace over the course of his life, but when he passed away, his son, the current chief, commanded the statue to be placed on its current location in honor of his deceased father. In a way, Ghanak the Elder still watched over Ron'qen.

"_He's still caught up in the loss of his father, even though he died over a year ago. It looks like he hasn't even started to process it," _Kala though. _"That explains why he likes to get drunk, he tries to drink all his sadness away, poor man."_ She felt sorry for the chief, because she could relate to him. His father seemed to have been his whole world, like her father was to her. She couldn't bear the thought of losing her father, which made her feel truly afraid. It was quite a sensation, true fear. It was terrifying, but she found it to be addictive at the same time. All what Kala experienced in Ron'qen, she preserved and deliberated in her heart.

* * *

_"Look at them… They're everything a commander could ever ask for, obedient… precise… ruthless when they need to be. Yes, they are the perfect soldiers for this mission."_

"_They must have a weakness though… if not, I'm screwed."_

"_It won't be because of their training, what they showed so far is impressive to say the least. Even the way they mount their spiked salamanders portrays their experience and discipline. It's quite ingenious actually, a non-bender at the reins, while a bender has both hands free to deal some serious damage around the beast. I wonder why no one realized how useful that would be before…"_

"_At least I have enough time on my hand to figure out their weaknesses. Kun would be able to help me exploit them, but if I can't find any… there won't be much to exploit. Ugh… Ghanak is smarter than I perceived him to be; I hadn't expect him to pull that move on me. He used my own request against me… now those very soldiers, who were exactly what he needed, had now become a burden, an obstacle in his quest to bring the Avatar to Adok. Ghanak had given them one final command, before he sent them with him on his mission. If he was to capture the Avatar, the soldiers would force him to bring the Avatar to Ghanak before Adok. Ghanak and the soldiers wouldn't know that the boy is actually the Avatar, but they would find out. And when they do…"_

"_Ah… the smell of the forest, I've really grown to like it. The clearing shouldn't be too far away, at least the route towards it is quite easy. Just follow this road…"_

"_I wonder how close the Avatar is… Kun will know. His message came right in time, just before I left with this little band of warriors. It'll be good to see him again, I kind of miss that young kid. It's strange really, how someone can grow onto you that much over such a short period of time, I mean, I only know him for not more than two years."_

"_How strange… the wind is changing… how interesting… Qanaq must have succeeded in taking the Unagi-peninsula. Soon… soon Ghanak will receive word and commence the siege of Omashu. That means that in time, both the Eastern and Western Water Tribe will join the war as well. Sodok will land in the southwestern Hu-Xin provinces and push onto Taku, while Zibak will land on the peninsula south of Ba Sing Se and push for the great Earth Kingdom capital. It's quite hilarious actually, that one of the smallest tribes has to take on the largest city in the entire world. Of course, that would have been different if it weren't for that senile old fool who happens to lead the Northern Water Tribe… That cursed Ynook... he should have led the siege of both Ba Sing Se and Taku. He would team up with Sodok to capture Taku, after which he would turn his attention to Ba Sing Se. That would mean three tribes would be besieging Ba Sing Se, while the Southern and Central Water Tribe would deal with Omashu. Now, the Western Water Tribe has to take Taku on its own."_

"_How is that even possible?! Taku is the vice capital of the Earth Kingdom for crying out loud… Sodok might be cunning, but not even he can take Taku with an army as small as his. If we would have had Ynook's help, the Earth Kingdom would probably have fallen within two years. Now, it'll take at least ten years to get the entirety of the kingdom subdued."_

"_That's why my mission is so important. Ten years is enough time for the Avatar to grow powerful enough to stop us, but if I stop him… we will succeed."_

* * *

_ "How the universe acts providential to our cause in our time… the Avatar has actually taken a route that leads along my meeting place with Manak. Our cause must be right, it actually is our duty to capture the Avatar and bring him before the grand chief. It's about time to team up with Manak again, I don't like this solitariness. I'd rather be back in one of the army camps, back with the rest of my mates, but this mission is too important for me to squander my duties. Besides, if I want my position, and chances for promotion, restored and the only way to make that possible is through capturing the Avatar."_

"_Now what do we have here… Aha… Look what we have here, an old man cleaning up a used campsite. He hasn't seen my, I'd better keep it that way. It looks like the Avatar isn't with him, maybe he's gone ahead?"_

"_It matters not, I'll have to wait here for Manak anyway and who knows how long that'll take. We'll catch up with them in no-time anyway. Uhoh… has he seen me? I guess I'll wait for a bit…"_

"_I guess he hasn't seen me. That was close though… but I got to wait and see in which direction the old man leaves. For all I know they've taken a detour through the forest to get back to the Arid Plains. Oh, he leaves… Okay, he's going north, so they didn't take a detour… good to know."_

"_Manak will be pleased. Everything is going according to plan and we've gained a lot on them. I might not know where Manak is at the moment, but Ron'qen isn't that far from here. It's more than a few days of travel away, true enough, but still. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait."_

* * *

It was definitely the more darker part of the forest, through which Ling and Sali's path went. The sunlight barely penetrated the thick roof of beautiful maple leafs above them, spider webs the size of a platypus bear hang between mossy, blackened tree stems. The dirt road was covered in black colored leaves and fallen cocoons, little spiders skittered around, not only on the road but on the webs as well.

"Not really the path for a girl to take, is it?" Ling said teasingly.

"Just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean that I'm afraid of spiders, if that is what you mean," she replied. She knew Ling was only teasing her, so she kept herself from becoming angry with him. Ling had a point though, the path they had taken was hardly inviting. To be honest, the environment gave her the creeps, not because of all the creatures skittering about, but because of the darkness around the two of them. Ever since the path had gotten dark, she'd had the feeling of something, or someone, was lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike. It made her wonder if they, she and Ling, were the hunters, or the hunted. She wondered if it had been the right decision to split up, for all she knew they could be walking into a trap. It sounded far-fetched, since no one knew they were here, but still… they were near possible enemy territory. On the other hand, she could just be paranoid; what interest could the Central Water Tribe possibly have in a war fought between the Earth Kingdom and the Southern Water Tribe? It would be a suicidal action for the Central Water Tribe, since they were completely surrounded by Earth Kingdom territory and, above all, they were in Omashu's sphere of influence. The armies of Omashu could easily crush the Central Water Tribe and its chief would be very aware of that.

"Ling," she spoke up, "do you've got the idea we're being watched?"

"Being watched?" he repeated her question, after which he shook his head. "Nah, who would want to hide in those bushes." He pointed at a spider infested bush, its leaves were white because of a fungus that grew on it. "I think you're being paranoid."

"I guess you're right…" Sali mumbled, shambling over the leaf covered road. It didn't put her mind at rest though, she kept glancing around her, observing every bush and tree they went by. Sometimes, she would look behind her, just to be sure no one was following them. Ling didn't see her, fortunately, he would have made fun of her paranoia. With every step, the forest path went darker and the feeling of distress grew within Sali. All the more glad she was, when after taking a corner, bright light shone through the leaves; they'd entered the brighter part of the forest path. The quantity of trees decreased, there was more place for other types of flora and here and there a small rodent could be seen gathering its meal for the day.

Sali's uneasy feelings dissipated, calmness took over. She could start to enjoy the forest around her, not that there was something to enjoy back in the darker part of the forest. Feeling a lot better, conversation between her and Ling opened up again and was easier to maintain. They chattered away, laughing loudly at time, which must have disturbed some of the forest animals in their vicinity. It was no surprise that after a few moments, they couldn't see the animal anymore, they'd ran from them, because of the volume of their speech.

Or so Sali and Ling thought… Reality was different, as it turned out to be when four men jumped down from a tree, capturing them in a net. It would have been easy to break out of the net, if it weren't for the ensuing chaos. Ling and Sali struggled to get out, while those four men did everything in their power to prevent that from happening. The chaos ended when one of the four was eventually so fed up with the situation, that he ended the struggle by giving Ling and Sali two firm punches on the head with a club, knocking them out.

"Now why would two children be walking through our forest without someone to watch over them, I wonder," one of the four men said.

"Oh what does it matter, once we get back to our mates, we can keep them with the living animals and sell them on the slave market in Ron'qen. I mean, a young unblemished girl will probably catch us quite a prize and the boy… well he could always be sold to one of them mine owners."

"Or we keep the girl to us-selves," the third grinned.

"Ourselves…" the fourth corrected the former, "but even though that proposition is music to my ears, my friend, I think selling her would do us more good than keeping her. I mean, who's going to feed to girl?"

"I guess the boss will decide," the first man said. "But just imagine what we could buy with all the money she'll bring up."

"Too bad you had to hit her, now her pretty face might be spoiled."

"Don't you worry, her face will be pretty enough and if not, we will keep her, simple as that. We'd make less money out of the hunt, but we'd spend less when in the city, right boys?"

"Heh, right y'are."

"Now let's get to the camp, the boss will be waiting."

* * *

"Man, I'm bored," Sen complained. "I thought tracking would be far more exciting than this..."

"What did you expect it to be like then?" Kukuh asked.

"Well… running a lot, jumping over all kind of obstacles, deciphering obscure footprints and a lot of action!" He made several punching movements to depict what he meant.

"Deciphering?" Kukuh asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"You know, kneeling down at some strange looking footprint, studying it and using logic to deduct what that footprint might mean to us and all…"

"Okay, I can see why you're disappointed, but… didn't your father ever take you out to hunt?" Kukuh asked.

"No," Sen replied hesitantly. "Did your father do that?"

"Of course he did, everyone was taken out to hunt with his father at least on time," Kukuh said, genuinely surprised to hear Sen had never hunted with his father.

"It seems I'm the exception to the norm…" Sen replied. "My father never took me out to do something fun…" he sighed. "He was too busy with his farms and business in the area around our village… He never had time for me, unless I had done something wrong. Then he would take all the time in the world to tell me how disappointed he was in me for doing something he thought of as wrong."

"Like when you hadn't trained earth bending for a week?"

"Yeah, and that was just a minor thing," Sen answered. "It took him an entire hour to finish his tirade that day," he paused for a moment. "It's strange, for some reason I miss him, but on the other hand I'm extremely happy being here, without him always nagging about everything I do wrong."

"You miss him because, whatever he's like, he still is your father. Besides, you didn't have time to say goodbye properly."

"What would that have to do with me missing my father?" Sen asked.

"Saying goodbye can give closure, you know," Kukuh answered. "Since you haven't been able to say goodbye, as of yet, you haven't been able to close that part of your life."

"As of yet? You think we'll see our parents again?" Sen asked.

"I can't be absolutely sure, but somehow I can feel that we will return to Hia-Pao and we will see our parents again."

"Not in the case of Ling and Sali," Sen noted sadly.

"Ling still has his mother and brother, and Sali still has her father," Kukuh argued. "While it is true that that won't compare to two parents, they still have got people to return to. Some is better than none."

Sen agreed with Kukuh's last statement, they started walking again through a forest that began thinning out. Looking to their right, Sen and Kukuh could see the Arid Plains closing in. The path didn't lead to the Arid Plains though, as it curved to the left, which would eventually lead deeper into the forest. The part of the forest they were at, was unlike any other part of the forest they'd seen. The trees were majestic, although scarce compared to other parts, and were beautified with orange colored leaves. Tall grass grew along the dirt road and large bushes donning red flowers were spread around in the large gaps left between the trees. Traps like the ones they'd encountered near their campsite, weren't around, because there were no animals around. Besides, a shining metal trap would stand out too much in the environment, the darker parts of the forest were more suited for trapping. The thought that no animals were around was false though, as Kukuh and Sen noticed when they rested a bit. They'd stopped talking, wanting to admire the silence of the forest. Instead, they heard birds singing softly, but ever so beautiful. It was an enchanting sound, to which the both of them could listen for hours, but they knew that they didn't have the time for that.

After walking for a few more miles, the singing was substituted with blustering, its soft beauty with coarse language. They were nearing a clearing and, as could be heard, probably the campsite of the poachers. Walking turned into tip-toeing, Sen and Kukuh deviated from the path, choosing to close up on the camp through the bushes and tall grass. They peeked through the greenery, looking into the heart of the poachers' camp. There were more of them than expected, at least ten of them walked around the camp and sounds could be heard from a few small tents.

"_Probably fifteen of them," _Kukuh thought. _"We won't be able to take them on all at once, but maybe we don't have to."_ He took more time to observe what was going on. Two men guarded an animal pen, three of them were busy skinning dead animals, storing the meat, bones and furs on one pile. _"Why would they do that, that'll spoil the furs…"_ The blood was collected in multiple bowls, Kukuh wondered what they would do with the blood.

A man walked out of the tent, he looked like someone from one of the water tribes, being dressed in their blue garments. He was definitely the leader of the poaching gang and probably from the Central Water Tribe, since that was the closest tribe to the forest, its territory bordered the forest. A bowl of blood was given to the man and to Kukuh's disgust –which was shared by Sen as he noticed, the man drank it. He seemed to like the taste of blood, because another bowl followed. The man drank it greedily, until his big black beard was drenched in animal blood.

"_The man is nearly an animal himself, how disgusting."_

"Sen," he said to his friend, poking him gently in his side. "I think I know what we should do, listen."

"Okay, spill it."

"We can't fight them, but we don't need to. We only need to rout the rest of the poachers and take out their leader."

"Uh, Kukuh, I don't want to nag about it, but that won't stop the poachers from coming back."

"Just hear me out Sen," Kukuh said, "I've got just the idea to prevent the poachers from ever coming back." Kukuh whispered his plan into Sen's ear, who began started to grin broadly.

"Oh, I like how you think Kukuh," he said. "I couldn't have thought of anything better than that."

"We only need to wait for the right moment to strike, but when it comes…"

* * *

Everything was blurry, not only what he saw, but also what he heard. The only thing that was clear to him was that he and Sali were in big trouble. He tried focusing on what he could hear, it didn't help much. He could smell thing clearly though, the smell of fire and roasted meat, mixed with the repulsive smell of dead things. He felt around with his hands, he felt thick ropes, he was still in the net, but Sali wasn't. He panicked, he wanted to know what the poachers had done to her, if they had hurt her. The panicking didn't do he sight any good, it worsened and the sounds became duller as well. He turned onto his back, breathing in and out in a steady manner, trying to calm himself. His thoughts remained on the same subject as before, but he succeeded slightly in calming himself down. The sounds became more clear, Ling noticed, so he closed his eyes to enhance the effect even more. He could hear people, men, four of them, talking. He couldn't hear what it was about, but knowing that wasn't a priority for Ling at the moment. He opened his eyes and sat up. He looked around and, to his relief, he saw Sali bound in a cage on the ground. He noticed that he was hanging from the tree, a precaution taken by many in the case someone might be an earth bender. The waterskin of water tribe produce might have shown the poachers that Sali was a water bender, so they knew she could be kept on the ground as long as she was bound.

"How do I get out of this predicament," he mumbled to himself. He had no idea, Sen came up with all the smart plans in their youth, he wasn't that creative. He was rather straightforward, not only in how he acted, but also in his thinking and bending. Miss Shaku had called him the perfect example of an earth bender, no fuss, no ways around, just going at things head on. This wasn't always the case for him, of course, but it usually was. It wouldn't help much in the situation he was in at the moment, that was for sure. He had to be creative, he had to think out of the box. He came up with an idea, he had bent earth from a distance before, perhaps he could try it again, even though he had no connection to the earth at the moment. He concentrated and with a few determined jabs… nothing happened. That wasn't entirely true, because something did happen, the soldiers noticed his attempt to break free via the means of earth bending. They ran towards him, one of them sporting a club, ready to strike him down once again. He closed his eyes again, he concentrated in a way he'd never done before. He made a sliding motion with both of his arms and to his amazement, a slab of earth erected from the ground, into which the four man ran.

* * *

"Tomorrow my friends, we will return to the base camp and bring our two prisoners before the boss," one of the four men, who'd taken Ling and Sali captive, said.

"Are you sure you've checked the boy for weapons?" another asked.

"I've searched everywhere, I didn't find a thing. I can be as sure as I know I'm my mother's son that that kid has no weapons to break himself out of his prison," the third answered.

"Dinner is nearly ready," the fourth notified. "Fresh platypus bear meat, roasted on a stake."

"You guys smell that, burnt fat. I like the smell of burnt fat in the evening, knowing that a tasty meal of delicious meat will follow."

"Shouldn't be check up on the prisoners soon?"

"Nah, they'll be unconscious for the time being. I think they'll wake up after another hour, then we can give them something to eat and to drink."

"Why would we give them that? They're our prisoners, not our guests…"

"Well wise guy, they won't be worth as much starved as they would be in normal conditions, so depending on how much money you would like to make when we sell them, you'd better feed them like we will too."

"Okay, okay… calm down man…" the poacher said apologetically, glancing at the net hanging from a tree. The net contained on of their prisoners, the boy, who seemed to have woken up. It was a funny sight, the kid tried to escape using earth bending, but everyone knows it is impossible to bend earth when you aren't connected to the earth.

It only dawned on the man after a few seconds, the boy was trying to escape. It was too much of a risk to ignore it, so he jumped to his feet and warned his fellow poachers. They ran towards the net, the boy tried his best to bend, but nothing happened. The earth cracked from behind the bushes and suddenly an earthen slab rose in front of the poachers' faces. It was too late for the to react, they ran into it.

* * *

He was glad he'd finally left that uninviting part of the forest, he wasn't that fond of spiders. It's not that he feared them, but he found them to be unpleasant creatures nonetheless. No, how strange would that be, an agent of the Royal Secret Agency with a fear of spiders. Royal Secret Agents were fearless, but cautious. Two certain friends and companions hadn't been, Sipong judged after having observed the place where Sali and Ling had been caught earlier that day.

"Drag marks, a net… interesting," he mumbled. He looked around a bit more, finding a small ladder which led to a thick branch of a tree, spanning over the road.

"So they climbed the tree, probably waiting for a sizeable animal to capture, but instead, they found Sali and Ling. They never suspected a thing, until the poachers jumped down… right here," he pointed at some footprints, which were a lot deeper than all the others, as if he was explaining everything to someone else.

"There was a struggle… but eventually the poachers won and dragged them along in a net, through the dirt." He looked in the direction the drag marks led. "It seems I've got some rescuing to do."

He ran, carrying the weight of all the camping material on his back. At that moment, he felt truly thankful for the training he had so many years ago. At that time, it was right-out torture, but now that continuous drilling and disciplined hardship really paid off. It was important for him to free Sali and Ling, not because they were that important to him –which, as he had to admit, they were, but because Kukuh couldn't do without them just yet. Kukuh needed his friends, so, since it was his mission to help the Avatar, Sipong had to rescue those two. He only needed to think about an excuse how he was able to rescue them, they still knew him as an old, feeble man, but that was a concern for later. He was reaching a clearing, he heard the sound of conversation and the cracking of fire. He smelled the sweet scent of roast meat and burnt fat, which made him salivate; he noticed he was getting hungry. From the greenery, he watched the poachers, but he also scanned the little camp they made to see where they'd kept his two friends. He spotted both of them soon enough, Sali was unconscious, which was very fortunate, lying in a wooden cage, while Ling was conscious, sitting up in a net hanging from a tree. Sipong had rather seen Ling unconscious as well, which could've saved him an explanation.

The men jumped up, they saw that Ling was trying to escape, he had to act. He stomped his feet into the ground, sinking his weight on that leg. With another rigid movement, he pushed both hands forwards, erecting a slab of earth in front of the four men. They crashed into it, two of them with such force that they were knocked out. The third man broke his nose, while the fourth was only a bit disoriented. Sipong jumped out of the bushes, into the clearing. The two conscious men stared at him, they looked confused, but they forgot about it, they grabbed some knives and threw them at him. Sipong shook his head, he pitied the fools. He rose a wall of earth in front of him, blocking the knives, after which he slammed it into the two remaining poachers, sending both of them flying into the tent behind them, which got pulled with them, into a tree. Their backs cracked audibly, they were surely dead, Sipong knew. He had been trained to kill, his attacks were lethal and his defensive moves were nearly so. The two unconscious poachers were still a danger, they could come after him, Sali and Ling after finding out their friends had been killed, so Sipong crushed them with a boulder. Next, he walked up to Ling, who'd watched everything in shock.

"Who are you?" he asked. He was afraid.

"Ling, what you've seen today, you must keep secret," Sipong commanded. Ling only looked at him, he didn't nod nor speak. "My name is not Pong, or Ol'Pong," Sipong confessed. "My name is Sipong and I am an agent in service of Earth King Yi Ming, long may he reign. I was tasked to keep the Avatar safe and bring him to Ba Sing Se, but Kukuh may not know, not yet. Do you understand?"

"I d-don't think so," Ling stammered.

"You don't need to just yet," Sipong said, smiling warmly at Ling. "As long as you don't tell anyone of what you've seen. Now come, I'll free you."

* * *

Kukuh balanced on a thick branch overlooking the poachers' camp. He looked to its other side. There, hidden within the tall grass, he saw Sen, just as he'd told Sen to be. They made eye contact, Sen nodded, he nodded back. That was the sign for the both of them, Sen started to bend from the tall grass, while Kukuh jumped down from his high place. From the tall grass, Sen launched rock after rock at the camp, crushing the tents, smothering the campfires and demolishing the storages of meat, bones and fur. In a strict rhythm, it looked like he was dancing, Sen erected multiple rock columns from the ground, piercing through tents, weapon racks and safety traps, which sprung immediately. Poachers who jumped out of their tents, or were disturbed in their work, ran about, trying to figure out what was happening. They were either hit by the rocks Sen had launched, or they'd bumped into the columns he had raised. Those that weren't hit, not sent flying by Sen, who even rose columns beneath the poachers' feet, were shocked to see what happened to their boss. His tent suddenly caved in and sunk into the ground. The ground shook, damaging the wooden enclosure that was the animal pen. The animals broke out, some of them turned on the poachers, attacking the with teeth and claw. Some poachers ran, to the Arid plains or into the deep forest, but they ran. Some screamed that the spirits were taking revenge, since they had been bringing the forest out of balance with their uncontrolled poaching, others just screamed incoherent words. Most had been taken aback by what had happened to the boss's tent and the chief, who was still in the tent. They thought the earth had swallowed him, for the spirits were angry at him the most, since it had been his plan all along to poach in such a quantity as they had been doing.

What the poachers didn't know, is that the tent had caved in under Kukuh's weight, who'd plunged into the tent when he'd jumped from the branch. At the exact moment he'd gotten down, he'd sunken the ground upon which the tent stood. Then, he started pounding on the earth around him with his fists, which caused the earthquakes above him. The poachers' leader had been stunned for some time, Kukuh could see where the man sat, due to the bulge under the tent cloth. When he got some sense in him again, he started to wildly punch around him. Kukuh launched a stone at the man's head, knocking him out. He needed him to wake up later, after the others had routed. He kept pounding into the earth, until the screaming above him faded away. After some time, Kukuh stopped, everything was silent. Sen's head appeared above the hole.

"They're gone Kukuh, they all ran," he said, bearing a broad grin on his face.

"Good," Kukuh said contently, raising the ground beneath the tent again to get him, and the knocked out poachers' boss, on the same level as Sen and the demolished camp. "You set some of the tents on fire?" Kukuh asked after noticing some of the tents had flames coming out of them.

"Yeah, I thought it would add another layer of drama, you know." Kukuh chuckled and lifted the tent cloth, revealing the knocked out bearded man beneath it.

"Did you save the bowls of blood?" Kukuh asked.

"Yup," Sen answered, pointing at a stack of bowls near one of the burning tents.

"Good, you know what to do," Kukuh said. Both of them grabbed a few bowls of blood and began pouring them on the ground. After they'd finished, Kukuh told Sen to search some of the poachers' provisions for their food, which Sen found, and to take everything worth keeping with him. Kukuh took another bowl of blood, pouring it on the ground in a line towards the man who still was unconscious. He poured the remainders of blood over the man, after which he joined up with Sen at the back of the camp.

"Did you get anything worth keeping?" he asked Sen.

"I found this bone necklace," Sen answered, smiling excessively. Kukuh grinned, but gave him a corrective punch to the shoulder.

"I mean useful for all of us," he said.

"I found some salted meat, so I took it with me," Sen responded, patting on his bag.

"Good, you want to go now, or do you want to stay and look how this plays out?"

"How much I'd like to see how your little plan plays out, and how amusing that would be, I think it's best to go and catch up with the others." Kukuh nodded, agreeing with Sen and so the left.

After a few minutes, the poachers' boss woke up. He tasted the blood Kukuh had poured over his face. He jolted up and was astonished by seeing in what shape his camp was. Everything was destroyed, some of the tents were on fire and all the animals were gone. Then he noticed the blood trail, leading from where he had been lying for the past moments. He followed it, until he encountered something written on the ground, in blood.

'Run!' it said. The man turned white, he thought that the spirits had written it. He ran, never looking back at the place where his camp was, he ran towards the Arid Plains, away from the forest, spitting out the blood in his mouth. It didn't taste as good as it had anymore.

* * *

The sun was setting and Manak still hadn't shown up, Kun was getting impatient. The longer he waited, the farther the Avatar would get ahead of them. It had been a few hours since he saw the old man leave the clearing, where he was waiting for Manak.

"Come on Manak," he muttered, "what's taking you so long…"

The moon was rising, appearing crescent shaped. It had been a few days since the new moon, the day Manak had left Ron'qen with his newly acquired army. Manak ordered some of his soldiers to light some torches, the forest was too dark in the evening and night to properly navigate through it.

"Torches," Kun thought out loud, "finally!" He walked towards the lights. The closer he got, the better he could distinguish faces of the men approaching him. They were soldiers of the water tribe ethnicity, Kun could tell. Manak had arrived, he knew, but he couldn't spot the man himself yet. The soldiers marched onto the clearing, past Kun, who waited impatiently. Finally, he saw Manak, who greeted him.

"Kun," he boomed, "how good it is to see you again!"

"Same to you, captain," the lieutenant said. "I see things worked out well with chief Ghanak."

"Ah, yes, about that… we will need to talk later on, but first, we will make camp," Manak said.

"Uh, about that captain, may I suggest something else," Kun said.

"You are free to do so lieutenant, speak you mind."

"We are only a few hours behind on the A… the fugitive. I advise you to continue the pursuit immediately."

"You know which way they went?" Manak asked.

"Affirmative, I saw one of his friends, the old man, leave along that path," he pointed to the westernmost path. "I can't be too sure though, since the eastern path had fresh footprints as well."

"So they tried to trick us by splitting up?" Manak asked rhetorically. "Well, that won't work. I know that those two forest paths converge at the end of the forest, so it doesn't matter which path the Avatar has taken. What I do know too is that the western path is much shorter than the eastern path, so if we take it, we will gain on the Avatar anyway. Trust me Kun when I say that we can afford to make camp here and rest. I must thank you though for what you've done. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't know where to go in the first place."

"So we will make camp here?"

"Yes, we will," Manak answered. "The men and I have travelled all day and night, they need some rest otherwise they won't reach the end of the forest. Besides, we're all mounted, a few hours means nothing if since the fugitives are on foot."

"Fine, I'll help set up some tents…" Kun groaned.

"No need," Manak said. "These men sleep under the covers of star and moonlight, so you'll only need to set up my tent."

"What about my own tent?" Kun asked.

"You don't need one either, lieutenant," Manak said. "You'll be sleeping with me this night."

* * *

It was deep in the night when Ling, Sali and Ol'Pong finally reached the outskirts of the forest. Sali had woken up an hour after Ol'Pong had rescued her and Ling. She asked what had happened and Ling had lied to her, since he had promised to Ol'Pong –whom he now knew as Sipong, not to tell the truth about the old man's identity, or what he had done. They had told her that they had been mistaken for wild animals by a hunter, who'd set them free after he discovered he had made a mistake. Ol'Pong met up with them afterwards. Sali had believed every word of it and they'd been on their merry way ever since, although Sali did seem to have a headache, following the blow on her head, dealt by the four poachers.

They set up their camp outside of the forest and waited for the other two to show up. Kukuh and Sen ran out of the forest after the three had waited for fifteen minutes after setting up camp. They embraced each other, they were happy to see everyone was okay.

"Did you encounter some poachers on your way?" Kukuh asked Ling.

"No," he lied, "you?"

"Nah," Sen said, as he and Kukuh had agreed on withholding what they'd done to the poachers. "But we did find a bag along the way and guess what?"

"You found our provisions?" Ling guessed.

"It's even better than that," Kukuh said, "we've found our provisions and some salted meat in it."

"Great," Ol'Pong said, "we can preserve that for quite some time."

"Meat will make my stomach very happy," Sali commented.

"But Kukuh," Ol'Pong said, "if you haven't encountered poachers, and if we haven't, doesn't that mean you've failed in stopping the poachers?"

"You could say that," Kukuh admitted, "but I realized that I can't prevent everything."

"A wise thing to say," Ol'Pong said. "Now let's go to sleep all, we have had a long, tiring day." They all agreed and went to sleep. Kukuh stayed awake for a while, contemplating his own words.

"_I can't prevent everything… still… I prevented a lot of poaching in the future when it comes to this forest. Ol'Pong may not know that I lied to him, but what does it matter. I've done good things today, I'm sure of it. Ever since we've gotten to Mount Mourning, I feel like I'm growing into my role as the Avatar. Things are really looking up…"_


	12. Chapter 12: Caught

12. Caught

* * *

Camp had been set up at the outskirts of the forest, which stretched for several miles to the north. Everyone was still sleeping, for once, it was without anything burdening the five. The atmosphere was relaxed, they had no more worries. The only thing that had been worrying them earlier was that they weren't sure if it was safe to travel through the woods. They didn't know if the Central Water Tribe was in on the war and if they were keeping an eye on the forest, but both those things didn't seem to be the case. Kukuh had woken up early, the sun was still asleep, the moon shone bright in the sky. He didn't wake up nicely, once more, he'd had a nightmare, the same as the one he had before. Once more he had been confronted by the vision of the Earth Kingdom burning and the world eventually drowning beneath the seas. He sat down to meditate, his thought drifted off, his mind became empty.

* * *

"Kukuh, what brings you here?"

"I had the vision again, Kalak," Kukuh said. He looked around, he was sitting on a stone in the middle of a lake, as was Kalak, who sat right in front of him. It was different from the scenery of the time he met Kalak at Mount Mourning, then the scenery had looked like the mountain summit itself. "What is this place?" he whispered in awe.

"We are in the Spirit World Kukuh, this is Lake Perak. Ever since my life ended in the material world, my spirit has dwelt here," Kalak said. He dipped his hand in the water, swirling it around. "Feel the water," he said. Kukuh did as Kalak told him to do, feeling the surprising warmth of the water.

"It's warm… but it looks so cold," he said.

"Indeed Kukuh," Kalak replied. "Here in the Spirit World, things aren't always what they seem to be."

"Look at the sky and tell me what you think to be weird," Kalak commanded. Kukuh complied once more, looking at the gray colored sky. Flashes of lightning periodically lit the sky, but no thunder was heard.

"The skies look as if we are in a storm, but I can hear no thunder, nor feel rain, nor the wind on my skin, nor the cold that should have come with this storm," Kukuh spoke.

"Indeed and the same thing I said earlier applies again," Kalak said. "Things rarely are what they look like in the Spirit World. What looks friendly," he said, holding a little mouse in his hand, "might actually be quite hostile." He threw the mouse away, it fell into the water where it transformed in an enormous sea serpent. The monstrosity swam away, agitated, but left Kukuh in a state of shock.

"The exact opposite could be the case as well," Kalak said. "Something that looks very hostile, could be the most friendly creature you've ever met."

"That's nice and all, but… how exactly does that help me?" Kukuh asked.

"Visions can be compared to the Spirit World," Kalak explained. "They aren't always what they seem."

"You might be right, but it looked darn real," Kukuh replied. He got the feeling Kalak wasn't taking him seriously.

"Something looking real, doesn't mean it is, Kukuh," Kalak responded angrily, "haven't you been listening?"

"I have," Kukuh said, "but what if my vision is in fact real?"

Kalak sighed, but answered: "Listen to me, even if that vision was one of the future, it doesn't mean that will happen."

"What do you mean?" Kukuh asked.

"A vision could also be a warning given by the spirits, to alert you that the path you're walking, is leading to despair."

"But what would that mean? What is going wrong? Shouldn't I go to Omashu?" Kukuh asked confusedly.

"Those are a lot of questions, but they can all be answered at once," Kalak chuckled, his slight anger was ebbing away. "I think that you aren't doing a wrong thing, by travelling to Omashu. I think it is the right to do, but that doesn't mean you aren't making a mistake at the same time."

"I think I know what you're aiming at," Kukuh said after giving it a bit of thought.

"You do? Well then, why don't you tell me what you're doing wrong?" Kalak encouraged.

"If I'm not doing something necessarily wrong by going to Omashu, that means that you aimed for the way I'm going to Omashu. You meant my attitude is wrong, didn't you?" Kukuh asked.

"You are smarter than you perceive yourself to be, Kukuh," Kalak said, "you're absolutely right. The spirits are giving you a clear message, but the exact meaning I do not know. We can find out together, so why don't you tell me, what your attitude has been like ever since those nightmares started."

"It was at Mount Mourning, in Fu Dao and this night… but th… wait a minute," he thought out loud. "I got the nightmares every time I felt completely safe… so that means that…"

"The spirits are warning you," Kalak finished for him.

"Does that mean danger is nearby?" Kukuh asked.

"Not necessarily," Kalak answered, "I think the message the spirits are trying to make it clear to you that this isn't the time to feel too much at ease."

"They are advising me to be on edge?"

"Not on edge, more like alert," Kalak corrected. "After all, you aren't in Omashu yet. Since you'll only be safe in Omashu, don't you think it's a bit dangerous to assume you're out of harms reach when the city is still hundreds of miles away?"

Kukuh was silent for some time, he eventually said: "You're right Kalak, thank you."

"Thanks, I guess," Sen replied. Kukuh stared at Sen sheepishly, before realizing that he wasn't in the Spirit World anymore. It seemed that Sen had only just woken up, his eyes were still heavy and he looked drowsed. Ol'Pong was waking up too, he slowly sat up straight.

"Good morning Ol'Pong," Kukuh greeted him. The old man gave him a friendly nod in return.

"Kukuh," the old man yawned. "Could you do me a favor?"

"That depends on what that favor is," the Avatar said. He stood up from his place of meditation and walked around to stretch his muscles a bit after long inactivity.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go back into the forest to search some berries or other fruit, or nuts, to take with us. I'd like to have a nice amount of provisions with us for the rest of the journey."

"A little bit more food wouldn't hurt," Sen agreed with the old man.

"Alright, I'll go find some, you can go with me Sen," Kukuh said.

"Wha… why?"

"Well," Kukuh explained, "two can carry more than one." The real reason he kept hidden from Sen and Ol'Pong. He wanted to act upon the warning given to him by the spirits, so he was going to take Sen with him out of precaution. If he was to be ambushed while searching for food, he would at least have some backup. He didn't know exactly why he kept it hidden from his friends, probably because he didn't want to scare them, or make them feel uneasy.

"Yeah, but…" Sen protested, "I'm still sleepy and I haven't eaten yet."

"I haven't eaten yet too, nor have I slept long this night. I assure you that the cold morning air will wake you up," Kukuh responded. Sen muttered some incoherent words in frustration, shooting a jealous glare at Ling and Sali, who were still asleep.

"Come, come, we haven't got all day," Kukuh teased. "We should be on our way later this morning." There was truth in what Kukuh said, even though it was meant teasingly. Ol'Pong and he had agreed on continuing their journey two hours after sunrise. The sun was rising at this moment, so that meant that he and Sen had to hurry, if they were to keep to the schedule. There was truth in Kalak's words, Omashu was still far away, even though they were now getting close. They were now within Ron'qen's sphere of influence, but once they would get out of it, they would enter Omashu's direct sphere of influence. It was a soothing thought, that safety was nearing, but at the same time, that was the trap the spirits warned him about. The spirits, if they were the ones sending the message, were right, they were still near possible enemy territory. The fact that they hadn't shown themselves, didn't mean that the central tribesmen weren't hostile to him. They could, for all he knew, be waiting for him in the forest right now. That thought on the other hand, would be a bit paranoid. Perhaps it would be better not to think about what lied ahead, but not without being off-guard the entire time. The talk with Kalak had changed the situation entirely.

* * *

It was a town filled with sad and proud faces, but sadness dominated the lands. They had come, they had been swift and decisive, the armies of the Earth Kingdom had been crushed in only a few battles. The king of Omashu, and the Earth King, had failed in protecting their citizens once again. After Hia-Pao, which was burnt to the ground, and Gaofang, which was raided, Gaoling had now fallen to the Southern Water Tribe, to its chief, Adok. Soldiers were lined up through the streets, holding back the masses, to keep the streets empty for the chief to arrive. Chief Adok would arrive from the southern gate in on short notice. He would meet the great admiral Qanaq at the town square, in front of the town hall. Admiral Qanaq, the conqueror of the southwestern Earth Kingdom, would approach from the western gate. Security was tight, even though Gaoling hadn't resisted when the armies marched in –they had capitulated a few days earlier, the presence of the two most important military and governing figureheads in the town asked for it. Only one thing had to go wrong, and the Southern Water Tribe would be in total chaos.

The moment was there, under loud cheers, Qanaq entered the town through the western gate and marched in steady pace to the town square. The soldiers standing guard along the road made howling noises and pounded their weapons on the ground. The soldiers who were escorting the admiral, and the admiral himself, couldn't join in the celebrations. Their expression was solemn, nearly downcast, like the many spectators, the citizens of the town. They shed many tears that day, the day they lost their Earth Kingdom identity, becoming subjects to unknown people with unknown rulers. They were now submissive to a culture from faraway lands, with a language they didn't understand and customs which they couldn't grasp. They also feared their fate, knowing what happened to Hia-Pao and Gaofang. Qanaq seemed to be the more benevolent conquerer, sparing most villages he conquered, with the exception of Gaofang, which was raided. How gruesome it might have been for the inhabitants of Gaofang, it was still a gentle approach, compared to the fate of the villages conquered under Adok's command. Hia-Pao was the best example of Adok's approach, it was the first village hit by the southerners' invasion. It was completely burnt to the ground and according to rumors, all of its inhabitants had been taken captive, taken to the South Pole and thrown into Tailbone Bay. Now both would show up in Gaoling, as its conquerors, what would be the fate of the town and its inhabitants? Would they be spared, would they undergo the fate of Gaofang, or would they be taken captive or killed, while the soldiers burn down what used to be their homes? Only time would tell.

Louder roars rose as Adok entered through the southern gate, there was just something about Adok, something majestic, that inspired all the soldiers. It was something Qanaq didn't possess, or at least not to the extent Adok possessed. Qanaq wondered, waiting at the town square, how Adok did it. The old man always seemed, in his opinion, quite aloof. He got the feeling that Adok looked down on everyone, even his sons, wife and colleagues. He figured Adok must have actually been quite content with Ynook dropping out of the coalition, making Adok the main head figure of the war. The old man had really taken charge, not that he wasn't in charge when Ynook was still in on the plan, but after said chief dropped out, he handed some political tools over to Adok, tools the chief needed. Ynook withdrew from the world stage, Adok took over, even though Ynook remained the confederacy's leader _de jure_. The other nations hadn't questioned it, it had happened before. In the days Ynook's grandfather ruled the confederacy, he fell sick at some point and was incapable to rule for over two years. In those two years, Ynook's father functioned as regent, but he was too inexperienced to deal with international affairs, so the chief of the Southern Water Tribe took over that responsibility. Whereas this time, it took Ynook over ten years to get back to the world stage, no one had questioned it.

Adok met up with Qanaq, embracing him brotherly. The cheering and howling stopped, everything went silent. Adok walked around, he observed everyone gathered around.

"Brothers," he spoke loudly, standing on an elevated platform. "Today, we celebrate!"

"Yah!" some soldiers shouted.

"In only a few weeks, we conquered a large part of the southern Earth Kingdom with nearly no losses. We arrived at the Earth Kingdom shore and attacked the village of Hia-Pao… and it fell!" The soldiers hummed contently. "Our armies marched on Gaofang… and it fell!" Some isolated cheers went out to support the humming. "We…" Adok spoke, raising his voice, saying: "We marched on Gaoling," he paused, before shouting out with the entirety of his voice, "and it fell!" The gathered soldiers roared, applauded and howled. The sound was overwhelming, it made the gathered citizens fearful. Adok stood on his pedestal, bearing a smug grin on his face. The soldiers started to chant his name, over and over again. Adok enhanced it by spreading his arms, as if he was asking them to continue. He nodded on the rhythm of the soldiers calling his name.

After a while, the stirred crowd calmed down, so that Adok was able to finish his speech.

"Brothers, the respected and decorated admiral Qanaq," a few cheers rose from the crowd as his name was mentioned, "delivered me some news I would like to share with you. A few nights ago, brave men, men of the Southern Water Tribe marched on the Unagi-peninsula and all of its villages… and it fell!" Gasps of horror rose from the crowd of gathered citizens, but the gathered soldiers feasted after hearing the chief's words. The chief however, silenced them. "As we speak, a message is on its way to chief Ghanak of the Central Water Tribe. He will march on Omashu and it will fall! Brothers, we are witnessing the greatness of our people, for we are truly elevated above all other nations!" The soldiers now awaited the signal to start plundering and every dark thing that came with it, but the signal was not given.

"I know what all of you want, but I can't give it to you this day. We are a great people and to show it to these barbarians we've subdued, we will be merciful. No harm will come to them, nor their possessions. We will save it for the great cities, Omashu, Taku and Ba Sing Se. I promise you, brothers, brave men of the south, that once we will be at the gates of the Earth King's palace, I will allow you to act as you wish, to take what you want and to do as you please to any Earth King worshipper you encounter. But not today, today will be a day of restraint."

"But…" Adok said, his voice turned grim, "as according to our customs, blood must spill after a city, town, village or house is conquered. We hold our customs high, even in this faraway, uninvitingly warm lands. Has it not been the tradition of our fathers and their fathers before them to spill the blood of their adversaries.? Didn't they command us to do, as their fathers did before them? Brothers, I would not forsake that which our fathers commanded us to do, even though we promised restraint. What must be done, must be done."

The doors of the town hall opened, two soldiers walked out, dragging a few men with them. They were thrown at Adok's feet, they'd been beaten up, some men looked like they were in a bad condition. It were four men in total, one for each of the true tribes. Those men were, Xa Shun, the mayor of Gaoling, So Fang, a councilman and the mayor's main advisor, Shun Zhei, an oligarch and Yao Fong, Gaoling's richest citizen and an influential man.

"Why are you doing this?" Xa Shun cried, "We surrendered peacefully."

"The southern wolves thirst for blood, mayor," Adok said condescendingly. "So, blood will flow and we will meet our father's demands."

Soldiers approached the four bound men, standing still behind them. They drew their knives and held them at the men's throats. More men walked out of the town hall, beating drums and smoking torches. The smoke was blown in the men's faces, the drums were beaten increasingly louder, until they were silenced. Adok jumped down from the platform, he was nimble for his age. He stood still before the mayor and asked him:

"Will you face your death like a man, mayor, or will you die a coward?"

"Filthy dog," the mayor spat at Adok's feet, his throat was cut immediately.

"I guess we'll never know then…" Adok noted dryly. "Burn the body," he commanded. He walked up to the councilman and repeated the same question, the result was the same. So Fang's blood flew as well, soon thereafter and his body was taken away to be burnt too. Adok walked up to Shun Zhei and repeated the question again. The man didn't answer, but started crying, Adok waited patiently. He repeated the question once more, this time he was answered.

"Please great chief, have mercy on me, if it only were for my wife and daughter," he cried.

"Very well," the chief said, the merciful man he was, "I will be merciful on you. Burn him alive and his family with him and his possessions, so that they might not miss him." So it happened, for the man was taken with the soldiers and thrown onto the pile of wood upon which the two lifeless bodies of the brave Xa Shun and So Fang were burning. They threw Shun Zhei's wife and daughter into the fire as well and Adok enjoyed their screams.

"The screams of cowards falling victim to the flames is music to my ears," he said, but the crowds watched in horror. The soldiers rejoiced, however, and cheered, because justice was done to the coward.

Then Adok faced Yao Fong and he asked: "And what about you? Do you have a wife to return to, or a daughter to tend to? Do you have possessions to maintain?"

Yao Fong answered, with a straight face: "Yes, I do, but I won't use them as an excuse to save my own skin. If you would have mercy on me, I would be thankful, but if you would not, then so be it."

"Your words are commendable and wise, Yao Fong. Wisdom is scarce in this world, so for that, I will have mercy on you. The blood of the fools, who thought they were brave, has flown and the coward has been burnt. The blood of the wise shan't be spilled, as is forbidden by the fathers of our fathers." And with those words, Adok, who truly is the greatest chiefs of all, spared the life of the undeserving barbarians of the Earth Kingdom.

* * *

After the men were killed and their remains had been taken away, Adok walked up to Qanaq and thanked him.

"Thanks to your success, we can move ahead with the plan," he said.

"How long till Ghanak will receive our message?" Qanaq asked.

"That depends on the weather, I think. The message was sent two hours ago, as soon as I received your message. It matters not, not at this moment."

"What about the Avatar, chief? You forgot to mention him in your moving speech."

"Oh, such a shame. I must have forgotten," Adok answered laconically. "But worry not, I believe a certain captain is taking care of said problem."

"I thought you discharged captain Manak," Qanaq said.

"Admiral, I got to know Manak really well and the man is all about honor. He failed to deliver me the Avatar before, because his honor wasn't at stake. Now that I've stripped him from his honor, he has a good incentive to bring me the Avatar and I'm sure he will succeed."

"But what if he doesn't, and the boy gets to Omashu?"

"Then Omashu will burn…"

* * *

Ling woke up, munching contently, being greeted by Ol'Pong: "Good morning Ling."

"Good morning," he replied, sounding somewhat suspicious. Ol'Pong noticed, he knew that he would have to do something about that, otherwise the others might notice it and question why Ling was reacting in that way. Sali was still asleep, so he could use this very moment to sneak off with Ling to talk to him in private. He asked Ling to come with him, but he refused.

"Please Ling, I just want to talk to you in private," Ol'Pong pleaded. Ling listened to his plea and complied, following the old man out of their little camp. They walked for about a mile, reaching a small stream leading towards the marshlands to the west. They sat down, Ling looked at Ol'Pong, waiting for the old man to speak his mind.

"I've noticed that since I… saved you and Sali that you've been… distancing yourself from me," Ol'Pong said, observing Ling's reaction. Ling didn't flinch, he didn't move a single muscle.

"You lied to me, to all of us, and then you expect me to jump around you and cuddle you every time I see you?" Ling asked, sounding somewhat hostile.

"Of course I don't expect that, you know I don't expect that of you," Ol'Pong responded. "But I hoped you would understand why I lied about my identity. Would Kukuh have believed me if I had told him who I was? I don't think so, I think he would have been suspicious of me, even more than you are of me right now."

Silence followed, Ling pondered on Ol'Pong's words. He saw reason in the old man's words, he understood why Ol'Pong told him, and the others, the lies he had told. He knew in his heart, that the old man hadn't felt ill will against the four of them. It left questions though, questions Ling wanted answered. Now that the two of them were secluded, it was the perfect time to ask them to the old man, so that he could answer freely, without taking the risk of blowing his cover to Sali or the others. Thus, Ling requested Ol'Pong to reveal himself completely to him, so that he might regain his trust in the old man. Ol'Pong stared at him, he gave no immediate reply, but considered Ling's offer at first. He sat still for multiple minutes, as did Ling. The old man probably had hoped for Ling to drop the request, but after he saw that Ling wouldn't back down, he complied.

"Very well then, Ling the Younger, son of Ling the Elder, chief of Hia-Pao and its direct surroundings," the old man answered. The old man's knowledge of his ancestry didn't surprise Ling, he had expected the old man to know by now. Ling saw it as another trick to scare him away from asking anymore questions. Ling realized that more of these tricks might follow, so he braced himself. "I shall tell you exactly who I am, but know that what I've told you before, what I told about myself during the storm weeks ago, was truthful."

"Just tell me what I want to know," Ling said curtly.

"So, as I've told you when I rescued you from the poachers, my name is not Pong, but Sipong. I was born and raised in Ba Sing Se, into a middle class family of five. I used to be like you, as I've told you earlier, pushing most people away with my behavior towards them. Eventually, when that changed, my father got me into an academy for advanced earth benders. The head of the academy seemed to be connected to the Secret Royal Agency in some way, so when he saw me earth bending once, he saw potential in me. He contacted my father, who was actually happy to hand me over to the Agency."

"That sounds rough," Ling empathized.

"Maybe…" Sipong mumbled. "I understand it though, my father was alone after my mother died when I was three years old and raising three children was just too hard for him. Besides, the Agency offered me a better life than my father could ever have given me, he knew that."

"So you got recruited into the Agency…"

"Life in the Agency was tough, primarily the first ten years. I had to train day and night, they kept me from sleeping and they tried to break me, both mentally and physically. I didn't, I held out, as hard as it might have been and so I was brought before the Earth King. He gave me a new name, Sipong, and a new identity. My other records were erased, I became this new person. The only ones who now knew me as an Agent, were the King and I."

"So you've got no idea of who the other agents are?" Ling asked.

"Exactly, only the Earth King knows, which gives him a lot of power," Sipong answered.

"How so?" Ling asked, craving to know more about the mysterious agency.

"The Agents are everywhere and all answer to only one person. If the Earth King wishes, he can use all his agents to topple any government in the Earth Kingdom itself. If he would deem Omashu unfaithful to his authority, he could reestablish it with only the slightest gesture. The Earth King knows everything that happens in the Earth Kingdom, because his Agents, who are everywhere, send him reports every month, describing the situation."

"Let me guess, the Earth King knows by now that you've infiltrated our little group?"

"I sent him a notification when we were in Fu Dao," Sipong answered honestly.

"What's your mission?" Ling asked.

"Thirteen years ago, the day our glorious Earth King Yi Ming received word of Avatar Kalak's untimely death, he ordered the kingdom to gather in the three metropolises to test the newborns. After the entirety of his region was tested and the Avatar hadn't been found, and when the king of Taku informed him that the Avatar hadn't been found there, he dispatched me, in his wisdom, to see if the Avatar had been found in Omashu, for king Batu isn't always completely obedient to the his majesty. If I had found the Avatar, I would have had to stay near the Avatar until he was old enough to get his identity to be revealed. After that, I was tasked with bringing him before the Earth King. However, history took a different turn with the invasion of Hia-Pao, so now I have to improvise. My mission remains unchanged, I have to bring the Avatar to Ba Sing Se, to the safe arms of his majesty."

"Then why are you travelling towards Omashu with us?" Ling asked.

"Omashu is closer than Ba Sing Se and safe as well. From there, I can command king Batu to provide us with an escort to the capital. I'd rather had taken a straight route, but that was too risky concerning the current situation in the southern part of the kingdom," Sipong answered.

"You can order kings around?" Ling asked in amazement of such power.

"I serve in the name of the Earth King, I represent the Earth King in places where the Earth King does not travel, for he stays in the capital as befits a king. I deliver orders in his name, therefore the kings of the Earth Kingdom must listen to what I order them to do."

"So, it's your duty to bring Kukuh to safety and you will do so by bringing him to Omashu first, to continue from thereon to Ba Sing Se?"

"Yes, but mind you, I won't only bring Kukuh in safety. I'm also accompanying Sen, Sali and you. The three of you are connected to Kukuh by fate. He cannot afford to lose you, to be separated from you, therefore I will not only bring him to safety, but also the three of you. Do you understand me now, Ling? Do you understand the gravity of my duty? If I don't accomplish my mission, the Avatar will be caught and killed, and the world will be thrown out of balance."

"I understand, Sipong," Ling answered. "But you still have to do me a favor if you want to earn my trust once more."

"Which is?" Sipong asked, wondering what sort of favor the child wanted to ask of him.

"Train me," Ling answerd.

"You wish me to train you in the art of earth bending?" Sipong asked. "I think I can manage that… Why don't we get started right away?" The old man jumped to his feet, his example was followed by an overly excited Ling. "Remember though, I will train you in the way I was trained, which means bitter hard work."

"I can't become a great bender by being lazy anyway," Ling commented, bracing himself for the harsh upcoming training session.

* * *

It was one hour after sunrise, Kukuh and Sen were searching for food in the forest. Sen had commented that he felt a lot safer in the forest now that the poachers had been expelled from the forest.

"_Maybe,"_ Kukuh thought, _"but the spirits think differently about it, apparently."_ He couldn't help feeling a bit skeptical about what Avatar Kalak had told him. Of course, he felt more alert now, but it still sounded a bit far-fetched. On the other hand, his interpretation of the vision could be seen as far-fetched as well. _"What would spirits know about international conflicts of the material world, it's not like they cross over from one world to another. They are spirits, so they live in the Spirit World, not in our world."_ In that perspective, Kukuh felt like it was senseless to worry about what they might have tried to say to him.

But still… something inside of him stirred, there was that little bit of doubt gnawing in the back of his mind, ever saying that he was underestimating the power of the spirits, or the wisdom of his previous life. He knew, of course, that Avatar Kalak was wise and that the spirits were very powerful, he had never doubted it. However, in Kukuh's perspective, they had their limits. So he felt quite at ease, although he periodically checked his surroundings just to be sure he was safe. He glanced to his right and left, but the coast was clear, as he had expected. He scoured the grounds around the trees to find some fallen fruits, but he found none, even though he tried hard and searched for some time. Sen didn't have more luck either, he too found nothing. Half an hour slipped away, half an hour without any productivity whatsoever, until Sen finally found something. It was a small bush of red berries, called Ruby Berries, which were quite tasty, but not as nutritious as most fruits.

"_It's better than nothing," _Kukuh thought, though he had hoped for a lot more. On the other hand, it wasn't that much of a disaster, they would have a few more stops at some villages on the routes to replenish supplies. Kukuh wasn't that fond of asking the villagers for help, because it never guaranteed you would get it. Besides, he felt like it was his duty to help them, not the other way around.

"Should we go back?" Sen asked, now that they had something to go back with.

"Eh…" Kukuh waited to answer. One part of him wanted to go back, the camp was safer than the forest, but the other part of him wanted to search a bit longer. Eventually, the latter part of him won. "Let's try to find more," he said. "I feel like there's something up ahead."

"You felt like something was ahead an hour ago…" Sen commented.

"We found something, didn't we," Kukuh responded dryly. Sen and he laughed, the mood was great. They walked deeper into the forest, until they found some trees that had bushes growing around it which bore many delicious, and more nutritious, berries than the Ruby Berries they already had.

"Told you," Kukuh said, feeling ever so clever.

"Cheeky," Sen commented and started picking the berries, chuckling softly. The berries were colored blue and purple, some were white, but Kukuh knew he shouldn't pick those. White berries were often poisonous, so he warned Sen. Sen however, never having been an idiot, already knew it and he too had not picked them.

"Berries are nice to take with you, but too bad we haven't found any nuts, we can preserve those much longer," Kukuh said after he'd picked a bag full of berries. Sen had finished picking a bag too.

"At least we've got a lot more than we had now," Sen said. "We can be proud getting back with this."

"Yeah, I think we can go back now," Kukuh said. He suddenly felt on edge, he didn't know why, but he felt like he was being watched, or followed… or both. Leaves rustled, twigs cracked, and somehow, Kukuh heard all of it.

"Come on Kukuh, calm down…" he told himself. He hadn't noticed he'd said it out loud, Sen was staring at him awkwardly.

"You alright Kukuh?" he asked.

"Yes," Kukuh answered, sounding all but fine. "Let's just get back to camp…"

With every step he took, Kukuh felt more on edge. He felt like those who'd been watching, or following him earlier were closing in on him. He didn't tell Sen, he felt no need to trouble Sen with it. He grew more paranoid though, even the sound of birds singing was getting on his nerves.

"_What was that?!"_ Kukuh thought, glancing around him. It turned out to be Sen, who was kicking away a cobblestone in front of him. _"Come on Kukuh!"_ he scolded himself. _"Get yourself together."_

"Come on Kukuh, just tell me what's bothering you," Sen said, seeing his friend looking around confusedly.

"I feel like…" Kukuh said, but he stopped midway.

"Come on Ku…" Sen was interrupted by Kukuh, who put his hand over Sen's mouth.

"Shh," Kukuh said, listening intently to his surroundings. Sen struggled himself free from Kukuh's grasp, he wasn't amused.

"Will you please tell me what is going on?!" he yelled. Kukuh's eyes grew, as if he was afraid of something.

"Shut up Sen," he hissed, but it was too late. From the bushes, a group of ten soldiers emerged.

"Duck!" Kukuh yelled and instinctively, Sen fell to the ground. A spear flew over his head and got stuck in a tree. Kukuh rolled away in time to evade a club to his head, which could have knocked him out. He got to his feet and into his favored earth bending stance. He rose two rocks from the ground and hurled them at his assailants, but they nimbly dodged it. He was willing to fight for his life, had it not been for Sen being caught. Seeing that made him hesitate only a little, which was a split-second too long. A soldier hit him on his head, the lights went out, all was dark.

* * *

They had been sent off, twenty of them in total, a few hours before sunrise. Their mission was to perform a clean sweep of the western part forest, while another group of twenty would do the same in the eastern part. Ten of them had stayed behind with Manak, just in case he was about to try something. They knew he was trying to find their weakness, they knew he was hiding something very important. What they also knew as that chief Ghanak knew what he was hiding, but Manak didn't know that, of course. Through the chief, they knew who they were searching for, namely the Avatar, the only person able to stop their invasion in the future. They had expected the job to be a tough one, so they had been quite surprised when they simply ran into him moments ago. The Avatar didn't pose much of a problem, he was captured with ease, as was to be expected of them. They had made camp at the place they'd caught the Avatar. Now, the leader of the squad was writing a message to be sent to Manak, to inform their current supervisor of the Avatar's capture. Of course, the question was if they were right. They hadn't seen the Avatar before, so their captives could well be some unlucky travelers. Manak would have to come and see for himself, to find out if they'd actually captured the right one. The feeling in the camp was that they had caught the right person though, and thus, most men were enjoying some celebrative drinks with a high level of alcohol. Two men had been assigned to guarding the cage containing the Avatar and his friend. They had bound the both of them, both their hands and feet, and put them in a cage, which hang from a tree. They'd seen a similar construction in a camp they'd passed through. That camp had been empty, save for some lifeless bodies of what seemed to be poachers.

The campfire crackled, the spiked salamanders screeched and the half drunken soldiers sang merrily. The squad leader stepped out of his makeshift tent, the message meant for Manak fluttered in his hand. He called one of the half drunken soldiers before him and handed him the message. After the squad leader had given him his orders, the man waddled off, towards his mount. The beast screeched as the soldier spurred it, taking off at high speed. The soldier sped away, his fellow squad mates didn't even notice, there attention was focused on their booze. The squad leader had noticed his squad celebrating, but he didn't mind. He too felt like celebrating, but his position required him to stay sober. He decided to check up on the Avatar and his friend. The one he perceived to be the Avatar was still unconscious, he'd smacked him harder than expected. The other one was awake and well, they had no difficulty containing him, once they'd knocked his friend out. The fact that he didn't try to save his own skin, but instead stuck with his friend, had made him think that the unconscious boy was the Avatar out of the two. Time would tell, Manak knows and soon he would be there. He inspected the Avatar closely, ignoring his friend who told him to go away. He looked like an adult to water tribe standards, the Avatar was definitely older than twelve years. From the looks of it, he must have come from a wealthy family, since the clothes he was wearing were delicate and beautifully decorated with golden embroideries. He must have been wealthy, or a good thief, though that wouldn't be a profession for an Avatar.

"A thieving Avatar," the man joked quietly, the conscious boy wouldn't have heard him, "now that would be a good joke."

The Avatar was breathing slow and ironically peaceful. The squad leader actually felt a bit sorry for him, such a young man with such a responsibility, having failed greatly. He knew what awaited the Avatar now that he had been captured. He would be taken to one of the chiefs, eventually to Adok, who would dispose of him. Young life would come to an end. War was cruel, even more so for the Avatar. That, and the fact that the Avatar didn't seem to stand out on some point, made him feel sorry. He didn't look much of a bender, especially looking at how he had defended himself when they ran into him. His moves had been rigid, a bit unnatural, which wasn't necessarily disturbing for an earth bender, but it said enough. He hadn't given him the brightest impression either, though he didn't look stupid either. It would be explained best by how he looked, average. However, there could of course be more to him than meets the eye. The squad leader guessed that the young man was, in a sense, lucky to be the Avatar. It does well with the ladies and since the Avatar wasn't outstandingly handsome, that was only a plus… had it not been for the war and his capture. This Avatar would go down in history, though, since he would go down as the youngest Avatar to die and the first to let his own homeland down, before most of it would know who their Avatar actually was.

"Irony surrounds this kid," the squad leader mumbled. He walked away, back to his tent. The long wait began.

* * *

Kukuh stirred; that was a good sign, Sen thought. He wondered how Kukuh would react to their situation. He should worry about other things, how to get out of captivity primarily, but his thoughts got stuck on how Kukuh would react.

"Come on Sen," he said to himself, "you should have different priorities right now." He looked around him, trying to find weak spots in the cage's construction. He could find any after a quick glance, but he saw something different. The squad leader was approaching. He knew that that man was the squad leader, because he had, had more than enough time to observe the group of soldiers from the cage. After seeing him giving all the orders, it wasn't advanced air bender poetry to figure out that he was the squad leader. The squad leader circled the cage, setting his sight on Kukuh.

"Go away," Sen groaned, but the man didn't pay heed to what Sen said. He stayed for a while, he mumbled something, but Sen didn't hear what he said. All Sen could see was a filthy smirk on the man's face. It was nauseating to see a predator circle around its helpless prey like that. Sen realized that Kukuh was in a lot of trouble at the moment, he was too, but Kukuh a lot more. He had to figure something out to get Kukuh out of the cage, out of the reach of those water tribe warriors. It suddenly struck Sen, he couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it sooner. These weren't southern warriors, their gear consisted out of wooden and metal weapons, their clothing consisted of lightly shaded blue cloth and partial armored plating. But if those warriors weren't southern warriors, from where would they have come? Sen figured that they were warriors from the Central Water Tribe, but they could easily be from the Eastern or Western Water Tribe for all he knew and if that was the case… it could mean that the entire Earth Kingdom was overrun by now. Sen shook that thought off, it was horrifying. He turned his attention to the cage once more, studying every link between the stakes that held the construction together, when he suddenly saw a little string protruding from the thick rope that held one corner together.

"If I can peel off string by string, that rope won't hold under the pressure of both my and Kukuh's weight…" he whispered to himself. That could work, but there was a little problem. He was still bound, both his hands and feet and he needed Kukuh to resolve that problem. That wasn't all, it would only work if those warriors wouldn't spot their attempt to break free. That meant that they would have to free themselves from their bindings and the cage, without drawing any attention to them. An impossible task, it seemed. But what was impossible to him, could very well be possible to the Avatar. If only Kukuh would wake up…

* * *

And Kukuh woke up, only a few minutes later. He looked around, still a bit dazed. When realization kicked in, he remained scarily calm. While he remained calm from the outside, he stirred from within. He gnashed his teeth and clenched his bound fists. Then he spotted Sen, which brought a smile, though sad, to his face.

"We're in quite a mess, wouldn't you say Sen?" he asked, smiling faintly.

"At least we're not hurt," Sen said jokingly.

"Not hurt?" Kukuh asked with an indignant tone. "The back of my head is hurting and throbbing like a madman."

"Since when does a madman throb?" Sen asked, again with a joking undertone.

"Ha, ha, really funny," Kukuh replied. "It would be a lot more helpful if you figured a way out of this place."

"Don't bother," one of the guards slurred. The guards to had gotten to the booze and had gotten quite tipsy. "This place iz… inescapapable…"

"Inezcapable," the other guard tried to correct, but he too failed to pronounce the word properly. "I need a drink…" he then said, waddling off.

"Get some for… me too!" the first guard yelled after him. "Of course he leaves me with…" he burped, "the prizonerz…"

"You shouldn't be getting drunk this early in the morning," Sen told the guard. The guard didn't listen, instead he drank his tankard of mead.

"Who are you guys anyway?" Kukuh asked. This time, the guard reacted.

"Who are we?!" he boomed. "Don't you… I forgot what I wanted to say… What was the question again?"

"Who are you guys?" Kukuh repeated.

"Oh, we? We are the best, most elitezt.. scouting squad of the Zentral Wader Tribe… Army," the guard bragged.

"_Very interesting," _Kukuh thought. He tried to peel more information off the drunken guard.

"So I guess you came here with a mission?"

"Yezz, we came here to find uz the Avatar…" the guard slurred. He moved his head closer to Kukuh, so that the latter could smell the strong alcoholic scent coming from the guard's mouth. "And uz captain thinks you iz the Avatar…"

"I thought the Central Water Tribe wasn't at war with the Earth Kingdom…" Kukuh mumbled loud enough for the guard to hear.

"We izn't…" the guard whispered. "Not yet… but the chief'z waitin for a go…"

The conversation was disrupted and ended, by the second guard returning with a few more bottles of mead. Kukuh had some eye contact with Sen, both of them realized that the guards were providing them with an excellent cover to break out. They would have to wait until the soldiers would be so drunk, that escaping would be actually quite easy. There was a catch, but only Sen knew it. He had seen the squad leader earlier, waving a piece of paper in his hand. Sen knew exactly what that piece of paper meant, it was a message to the higher-ups to notify them of the Avatar's capture. He guessed that there were southern warriors nearby to take Kukuh with them to their chief. That meant they only had a short timeframe to escape. They had to wait long enough for the soldiers to get drunk enough, but not for too long, otherwise those southern warriors might arrive during their escape.

"_No reason for panic,"_ Kukuh though. _"The situation is bad, that much is true, but I know we'll get out of this. I shouldn't have gotten myself into this mess though… I should have listened to Kalak and the spirits. I guess I've learnt another valuable lesson today: never doubt the words of a past Avatar, there is always some truth in his words… The worst thing is that I've gotten Sen into this mess as well and to top that, we lost all our food…"_ Again, his eye crossed with Sen's. They nodded at each other, the escape had begun. They shuffled towards one another at slow pace, hoping not to get caught by either the drunken guards, or the sober squad leader.

* * *

After training for two hours straight, Ling and Ol'Pong went back to the camp, the sun had risen nearly two hours ago. When they got back, they saw that Sali had finished packing most things, only the cooking gear hadn't been packed, because Sali had also prepared breakfast.

"Where have the two of you been?" Sali asked when the two earth benders were close enough to hear her.

"Ling wanted to train his earth bending and I watched him doing so," Ol'Pong answered. "He even made me a comfortable chair to sit in and watch him."

"So while I've been doing all the important stuff, the two of you were having fun? That's nice…" she said jokingly. She was in an exceptionally good mood, she'd had a great night's rest. "But ehm… where are Kukuh and Sen?" she asked. "I thought we had agreed on leaving two hours after sunrise?"

"They haven't gotten back?" Ol'Pong asked, his tone had changed from happy to worried.

"Gotten back from what?"

"They left early this morning to find some food in the forest," Ol'Pong answered. The worried tone of his voice was now more evident. "They should have gotten back by now…" he mumbled. Multiple scenarios played in his head, a tree had fallen down on either Sen or Kukuh, they'd been trapped in one of the poachers' traps or…

"That can't be…" Ol'Pong whispered. He couldn't believe that Kukuh and Sen were caught by warriors from the Southern Water Tribe, there was no way that could have happened. They were too far ahead of the southern armies for that to happen, so that left the danger of the Central Water Tribe being in on the war. That too, Ol'Pong couldn't believe. He would have been notified by now, if that would have been the case. He would have been notified in Fu Dao, since the Earth King knew he would pass through Fu Dao. He hadn't been notified, so Kukuh couldn't have been caught. Perhaps he and Sen had just lost track of time.


	13. Chapter 13: Unchained

13. Unchained

* * *

It had been a great morning in Manak's opinion. He had slept exceptionally well, the company had been great and, above all, the message he woke up to invigorated him entirely, both physically and mentally. The universe had been kind to him, once more it seemed that fate had chosen him to bring down the Earth Kingdom through taking the Avatar down. He'd gotten out of bed as fast as he could, Kun opted to snooze for a little while longer. That was alright, Manak didn't need him yet. There was time, for the first time since the Avatar escaped, there was time. Manak took a moment to realize that he could finally, after many days of endless chasing, take it easy.

"Captain Manak," captain Shoqal greeted, saluting the higher ranked officer he was addressing. Manak felt back in control, now that someone finally paid him the respect a man of his rank deserved. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew that the salute wasn't in place, he was still stripped of his rank.

"Not for much longer," Manak mumbled, pacing towards the command post which had been set up early in the morning, when the captain had been asleep. It was a simple construction, a few long poles with a large dark blue cloth thrown on top of it. A wooden trunk served as a table, upon which now rested the message Manak craved to read for himself. He knew the contents of the message, of course, but still, he would like to read the words for himself. It would give him closure, the end of a horrible chapter in his life story. He walked up to the trunk and picked up the message. He chose not to read it in the command post itself, he wanted to read it in the safety of his own tent. That would give him the opportunity to discuss further actions with Kun, who was still there. First he had to give a few orders though, so he turned to captain Shoqal.

"Captain, I want you to send a messenger to squad B, tell them to meet me at the camp of squad A," he ordered.

"Affirmative," the captain said, "do you wish us to start taking down the command post, or should we leave it in place."

"Leave it in place captain," Manak answered. "Five men will stay behind to guard the camp."

The captain narrowed his eyes, but nodded. Shoqal knew exactly what Manak was up to. He was thinning the group out, so that he could take them all down in small groups. It wouldn't work, if he tried, he could take down three at most, then he would fall to the might of the remaining forty-seven soldiers. Shoqal couldn't help but grin, it was all so ironic. The great captain Manak was going to read the message in the privacy of his own tent, thinking that he and the other squads knew not that he was after the Avatar. In the meantime, those men he now left alone were already plotting his arrest, and thinking of a way to transport him and the Avatar back to Ron'qen. Transportation would be quite easy, since a message was on its way to Ron'qen by now. He had sent it personally when the message Manak was about to read, came in early this morning. Before he had woken Manak up, he had taken the liberty to write chief Ghanak a notification. Ghanak would give them a way to transport the Avatar and Manak back to Ron'qen safely and then all would be well, with him, captain Shoqal, becoming the hero of all the water tribes. Manak entered his tent, Shoqal went back to work, shouting the orders Manak had given him, whilst plotting in secret.

Manak entered his tent, Kun had fallen asleep again. He walked up to the bed he and Kun had shared that night, and planted a soft kiss on the youngling's forehead. There was no reaction, Kun was a deep sleeper. He sat down on a small, foldable chair and started reading the piece of paper he had held close to his heart.

"_A message for Manak of the Western Water Tribe, captain in the Southern Armies under the command of Chief Adok of the Southern Water Tribe. _

_I hereby notify you, great captain, of the capture of two boys. One of the two fits the description you gave us of the convict, so it led us to think that we have successfully caught and imprisoned the convict. We deemed it too risky to move him your way, since you warned us that the convict was powerful, so we've set up camp directly north of your position, along the dirt road. We humbly request you to meet up at our position, so that you might confirm our suspicions. After that, we can start planning how to get the convict to Ron'qen, so that you might conclude your dealings with chief Ghanak of the Central Water Tribe and be on your way for the Southern Armies with the convict."_

"Perfect…" Manak mumbled, holding the message over a candle. The paper went up in flames in no time. There was no real need to burn the message, but it was still a basic instinct from when he was undercover thirteen years ago. He leaned back, taking some time to relax a little. He was still a bit tired, even though he had slept well. He yawned, stood up and stretched his back, a loud groan followed.

"Wh.. oh… it's you," Kun said sleepily. Manak's antics had woken him up.

"Who else would it be?" Manak asked. "This _is_ my tent you know."

"Oh, I don't know…" he answered. He looked around a little, allowing his eyes to adjust to the light coming through some tears in the tent cloth. "What do we do now?" he asked after a while.

"What do you mean?" Manak asked dumbfounded. "We go get the Avatar and we win this war…"

"I didn't mean that, I meant what do _we_ do next?"

"Ah… are you having regrets from last night?" Manak asked, disappointment drenched his words.

"No!" Kun quickly answered, shaking his head heavily. "No, last night was… great, but…"

"You are worried of what comes next," Manak concluded. "I do wonder why…"

"Well… I mean… we… us… and you're more than twice as old…"

"Oh, don't you worry Kun. Don't you know?"

"Know what?"

"It is quite normal for water tribe warriors to have relationships with one another, it used to be a widely spread phenomenon throughout the world," Manak said. "It's something which was first seen during the time there was only the Northern Water Tribe. The tribe wasn't united, there were a lot of tribes warring with one another. Chiefs of that time encouraged relationships between warriors, because it caused more cohesive combat and reduced the number of deserters…"

"Yeah… that's a nice history lesson and all, but that doesn't explain what I've been hearing in the army a few weeks ago," Kun interrupted.

"Oh that," Manak noted nonchalantly, "lately the general opinion is swinging around. It was unheard of in the air nation, since they don't have armies and favor to let go of all earthly attachments and while it used to be widespread in the Earth Kingdom, the last three Earth Kings made it their mission to rid their kingdom of 'water tribe perversion'. Especially Yi Ming has been quite zealous. That's how the other nations look at it, and even some tribes had stopped to see the use of it. The Northern Water Tribe for example, since it has been at peace for so long by now, failed to see its use. Since the Northern Water Tribe still has so much influence on our cultures, some of our fellow tribesmen started to adopt their ideas of aversion against it."

"Why would they?" Kun asked.

"People fear those who have ideas and morals different from theirs," Manak explained. "The problem is that they're wrong most of the times, like when the chief of the Northern Water Tribe refused to enact a law that made men and women equal, resulting in an exodus which led to the creation of the Southern Water Tribe. The chief of the Northern Water Tribe said that if he would enact that law, the tribe would cease to exist in only a century. That happened many centuries ago and the Southern Water Tribe, which enacted that law, still stands today."

"I see… I shouldn't worry then," Kun said.

"No, you shouldn't. Now get out of bed, we need to visit a certain imprisoned Avatar," Manak said, grinning broadly.

* * *

Kukuh and Sen had gotten closer to one another and they hadn't been noticed moving closer yet. All soldiers had gotten so drunk by now that the ones standing guard near their cage could barely stand up straight. They shuffled even closer, but they still were far apart. Kukuh suddenly stopped, and hissed to Sen that he should lie still too. Sen assumed the worst, they'd been caught and now things were going to get messy. He gulped, thinking about all the kinds of torture that he could undergo. Surely, those soldiers would torture him, not Kukuh. Kukuh was the Avatar, he had to be spared so he could be brought before the leader of the Southern Water Tribe. He, however, was just a normal Earth Kingdom citizen, he could be punished, even killed, without someone ever worrying about the consequences.

"Oh boy, I'm toast…" he mumbled.

The situation didn't seem to be as bad as Sen had thought it to be. It was the squad leader, who came for a chat with Kukuh. He walked up to the cage, and stared at Kukuh for a long time. It wasn't just a few seconds, it was more like a few minutes. Kukuh couldn't help feeling that the squad leader suspected that they were trying to escape. He felt the squad leader's eyes burning in his side.

"So…" he said, "you're finally awake… good."

"Who are you and what do you want," Kukuh snapped at the squad leader.

"Who I am is of little importance," the squad leader answered. "Who you are however… is far more interesting, isn't it… Avatar?" It struck Kukuh by surprise, he hadn't expected the man to be so blunt in his questions.

"I take the silence as a confirmation of my suspicions…" the man said thoughtfully.

"You still haven't answered my question," Kukuh replied angrily. He was mad at himself, for getting flustered so easily. He'd blown his cover, he couldn't even lie when he had to, to save his life. "What do you want?"

"I want nothing of you, Avatar, but I know someone who would love to meet you," the man said.

"And who would that be?" Kukuh asked, still sounding as hostile as before. He blew a few hairs away from his eyes, which only added to his insolent attitude.

"Oh, don't act like you've forgotten about him…" the man said. "He surely hasn't forgotten about you, Avatar…"

"_Could he mean… no, that… could that be?"_

"I'm starting to get an idea of who it could be," Kukuh said. "If it is the person I think it is, I think that person is actually quite sad to have followed me so far through the Earth Kingdom."

"Now here we agree on something," the squad leader said. "But listen to me, Avatar," he continued. "You and I both seem to have a problem… you are in a cage, waiting to be brought before the person who will end you. I guess you don't want that to happen, do you?"

"What's your point?" Kukuh asked curtly.

"I have a problem too. You see, I don't really like the man chasing you and my chief doesn't want him to capture you. My chief wants to capture you himself…"

"So?"

"What if I were to set you free, once our mutual _friend_ arrives. We kill him and after that, you hand yourself over to my chief. I promise to you that no harm will come to you. You will live out your days in Ron'qen, the most beautiful city in the world, and you won't need to worry for another second about foreign politics, your own safety… you name it," the man said.

Kukuh had to admit, the offer sounded attractive. Everything he had to worry about would been taken away, he could live in a dream, where everything is perfect. Oh yes, Kukuh had heard the tales of Ron'qen, the pearl in the marshlands. He had heard of how perfect that place was, how cultured and wealthy. The world's greatest artists hailed from Ron'qen, the Academy of Arts was a renowned institute and people from all nations would come there to study the arts. He would nearly immediately have agreed with it, had it not been for that soft voice in the back of his head, telling him not to give into the temptation.

"Why would you need my help?" Kukuh asked.

"Have you seen my men," the man answered dryly. "They're too drunk to fight, besides, the man we'll be fighting against is powerful. I'll need an Avatar to defeat him."

"Why shouldn't I kill you after I've killed…"

"Because an Avatar wouldn't mislead anyone, even if his own life depended on it," the man answered immediately.

"You already presume I will help you," Kukuh noted. "Before I decide, why don't you tell me who our mutual _friend_ is?"

"He's called Manak, and he's from the Western Water Tribe. The chief of the Southern Water Tribe conscripted him into his army. He was the one to figure out your identity, after you were born. He was the one to lead to first assault of the invasion," the man answered.

It was as Kukuh had figured. The man who had been sitting near the fallen tree, back when his escorts were ambushed, was the one following him. He now knew his name, Manak. It wasn't that useful, but somehow it felt comforting to know the name of the enemy.

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Kukuh asked. "I can choose between being alive and death…"

"Pretty much."

"Promise me one thing though," Kukuh said.

"Alright, what is it?"

"My friend goes free."

"Deal," the man said immediately.

"Fine then, I will help you when Manak gets here," Kukuh said.

"_If I haven't escaped by then, that is," _he thought, suppressing a devious grin. The squad leader was satisfied, he left them and walked back to his tent. Kukuh and Sen waited for a while, Kukuh made use of that time to think a little. It was time to contemplate his earlier decision to go further into the forest, even though he was warned by his predecessor and the spirits of possible dangers being near. Had he listened to them, and stayed near the camp, he, and Sen, would not have been caught and all would be well. They would have been on their way to Omashu by now, away from this terrible forest that hadn't brought anything good so far. First there were the poachers, now he's been taken prisoner. He had learnt nothing since he'd left Mount Mourning. There, Kalak had taught him to not take the words of his predecessors lightly, and he had just done that, he had taken Kalak's words lightly. Kalak wouldn't be pleased next time he had to talk to him, Kalak was never pleased.

"_Something terrible must have happened to him,"_ Kukuh thought. _"Otherwise he wouldn't be so tough on me."_ He'd had only a few conversations with Avatar Kalak so far, none of them were really pleasant. Kalak was always the severe teacher, never really showing any compassion whatsoever. Instead, he was harsh and he often said nothing more than:

"_Train more."_

Kukuh knew he had to train more, but Kalak was really pushing it. Besides, when would he have time to train, the little time off from travelling, he had to spend searching for food, doing other chores or sleeping.

"_Train more, or you will lose control over yourself, and the world around you."_

There might be some truth to it, Kukuh had to admit, but Kalak forgot that he had other things to worry about as well. He wasn't alone on his journey, his friends were with him, but Kalak often asked him to forsake his friends, like when they were climbing the Heavenly Steps and Sali was about to fall, taking Sen with her in the process. He had taken a risk that day, to save Sali and Sen. Kalak hadn't been pleased about it, and he had made that known.

"_I wonder what the others are thinking right now, now that we haven't showed up…"_ Kukuh thought. His mind switched back to the matter at hand, the escape was still on, even though he'd made a deal with the squad leader. He'd left a clause in their deal, he would only help when Manak showed up. If he were to escape _before_ the man showed up, the deal would be of and he wouldn't be bound to the promise he'd made.

* * *

"The Earth King Yi Ming, sovereign of the Earth Kingdom, ruler of Ba Sing Se, Taku and Omashu with their assigned provinces, the wise, the gem in between the rocks, spoke these words on the hundredth day of spring in his eighty-ninth regnal year, the year of the Pig, in the thirteenth year of Avatar Kukuh: I, Yi Ming, thirty-third Earth Monarch, he who rules from Gaoling to Pei Huang, from the Unagi-peninsula to Beiyan, from Wulong to Haiyang, and from Shancheng to Jiajiao, he who is the gem in between the rocks, hereby report of the current situation in the Earth Kingdom. Gaoling has currently been given into the hands of Adok, the malevolent, as part of the King's most ingenious plan. The evil knaves from the Southern Water Tribe, under command of Adok, the malevolent, try to push forward towards Pei Huang and Omashu. In his wisdom, the Earth King, exalted and wise, has allowed the armies of Adok, the malevolent, to progress thus far. The Earth King, exalted and wise, has prevented the death and suffering of many of his subjects, all praise the King."

"Non-scriptural note," Yi Ming said, turning to Cheng-Zhu, his Grand Secretariat, who had sat down in between two scribes, who wrote down every word the Earth King spoke. They stopped writing, since the King had indicated what he was about to say were not to be written down.

"Cheng-Zhu, what are you doing here?" Yi Ming asked. "Additions must be made to the annals today, you shouldn't be here…"

"Your majesty, I have two messages for you, both of them will interest you greatly," Cheng-Zhu answered. Yi Ming stopped walking around –he always liked walking around when he was dictating, it boosted his creativity. Not that creativity was a large factor in composing the Royal Annals of the Earth Kingdom, due to the predetermined structure, which was in use ever since the first Earth King, which left little room for experimentation. It always began by summing up the territories under the rule of the Earth King, then came some honorary titles –which were mostly skipped and only mentioned at the end of said King's rule, after which came the important content. Yi Ming had made it a weekly affair, updating the Royal Annals, after the declaration of war from the Southern Water Tribe arrived, whereas it first had been an annual affair. Scribes hailing from all of the three metropolises would travel to the Royal Palace to fill the entire throne room. Then, the Earth King would dictate his additions to the annals from his throne. Not all scribes would write the entire manuscript, groups consisting out of three scribes, one from each metropolis, would take turns in writing down everything the Earth King said. Taking turns was highly necessary, since the affair would take ten hours in total.

That was in times of peace, when little important things happened. Now, the Earth Kingdom was at war, and Yi Ming had promised himself to write down everything of importance, so that the future generations would know what happened. There was a catch though, every addition to the Royal Annals would be recited throughout Ba Sing Se and the rest of the Earth Kingdom. Every Earth King would have to be very careful in his choice of what to put down, and what not. It was of the utmost importance to preserve the status of his position, Yi Ming knew. If the people would know that he, the Earth King, was just a man like all others, one that made mistakes, it would lead to mass rebellions and chaos. It had happened before, in the era that came before the Long Peace. An Earth King, young and naïve, thought his fathers' ways to be too boastful, and so he commanded his scribes to write down the truth, his mistakes too. His mistakes were heard in Omashu, and Taku, and Pei Huang, and they all rebelled. For years, the Earth King ruled over Ba Sing Se alone. To make matters worse, before the Earth King passed away, a rebellion started in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se. It took the next Earth King years, and the help of two Avatars –the first one died of old age when only half the Earth King's power was restored.

"Speak up then," Yi Ming commanded, snapping back to reality after remembering the aforementioned story of the naïve Earth King.

"The first message is from king Batu of Omashu," Cheng-Zhu spoke. He was met with a loud sigh from Yi Ming's part, the Earth King and king Batu didn't go well together. "King Batu wanted to inform you of two alarming facts, your majesty. First of all…" Cheng-Zhu paused, glancing at the two scribes next to him. The two ignored him, they were paid to only listen to the Earth King and they did exactly so.

"First of all, king Batu hereby notifies you about the fall of the Unagi-peninsula to the forces of admiral Qanaq, who answers directly to chief Adok," Cheng-Zhu spoke.

"That was to be expected," Yi Ming commented. "Batu had only a few garrisons stationed in the south, most of them are in his northern provinces… and the second?"

"Secondly, king Batu wanted to inform you of the situation in the Central Water Tribe," Cheng-Zhu answered.

"What about it?" Yi Ming asked curtly. He was getting impatient, Cheng-Zhu always took ages to pass messages to him.

"It seems that Batu has gathered a sheer amount of intel, but the looks of it aren't good. Chief Ghanak has mobilized his forces near the northern border of his territory. He sent multiple squads of scouts across the border, presumably to find out where all troops are stationed."

"Batu suspects war with the Central Water Tribe?" Yi Ming asked rhetorically, for he answered the question himself immediately afterwards. "That's not a surprise, I had expected them to join their sister tribe earlier…"

"Your majesty?" Cheng-Zhu uttered, asking for explanation.

"Adok would never invaded the Earth Kingdom if he didn't have the backing of other tribes," Yi Ming explained. "But since Ghanak, whom I deemed reasonable, like his father, is the first of the four remaining tribes to mobilize…" he mumbled. "It could well be that all are in on this…"

"All the water tribes?" Cheng-Zhu asked in disbelief.

"No… not all, not Ynook. The man is too honor bound to gang up on us like this," Yi Ming reasoned. "But that still leaves Sodok and Zibak, who I deem lower than the filth on a beggar's feet. If Ghanak joins the war on Adok's side, Zibak and Sodok will do so as well."

"Then what will we do, your majesty?" Cheng-Zhu asked.

"Pull back all forces I sent to Omashu as reinforcements and notify Batu of my decision to do so. Also notify him, and Yong-Shi, that Zibak and Sodok are in on this as well. Command them to prepare for strikes from all tribes, the Northern Water Tribe excluded," Yi Ming ordered. The order was given to a servant, who had come to the Earth King to deliver him some refreshments.

"Now, from whom came the other message?" Yi Ming asked after the servant had hurried out of the room.

"From someone named Sipong, but the message bears your seal, so I could not open it," Cheng-Zhu answered, throwing the rolled up message at Yi Ming. The old Earth King caught it with ease.

_"Majesty, Fu Dao reached, Avatar alive, will go through forest along Long Road, Omashu, from thereon to Ba Sing Se,"_ Yi Ming read. He smiled, Sipong had done well, keeping the Avatar safe from Adok's clutches. Even though he made his scribes write down that everything was going according to plan, he knew well enough that his forces were spread too thin to be able to act against everything the water tribes were doing. The water tribes couldn't win in the long run, but the Earth Kingdom can't put the water tribes down within a short period of time. A long war wasn't something Yi Ming wanted, that would lead to a lot of casualties, which wouldn't look good in the history books. No, he wouldn't go down as the Earth King who failed to react to an invasion in a proper manner, it was time to call the Council of Five together.

"Thank you Cheng-Zhu, you may leave now so that I may continue with what I was supposed to be doing in the first place," Yi Ming spoke. Cheng-Zhu nodded, bowed and left the room swiftly.

"Very good, now… Resume notation!" he spoke out loud. The scribes turned their attention back to the pieces of paper in front of them.

"The Unagi-peninsula has been given over into the hands of Qanaq, the terrible, servant of Adok, the malevolent, to prevent harm to be done to its inhabitants. This was ordered by the Earth King, exalted and wise, he be praised!

The Earth King, exalted and wise, also spoke, saying: Hear me oh lords and servants, for I have received a vision from the spirits. The time will come that Sodok, Zibak and Ghanak, the accursed fiends, will turn against the Earth King, exalted and wise, and his holdings. They will embark on their ships and they will sail for my holdings. But fear not, for the armies of the Earth Kingdom will march to meet them, and they will slay our enemies and cleanse the land of their filthy ways. Their soldiers are weak and perverted, mine are strong and righteous. Worry not, for they will protect, not only from harm, but also from the immorality brought by Adok, the malevolent, and his peers. Flock to the Earth King, exalted and wise, for he will protect you within his mighty arms. His power will shield you from harm, in order for you to be able to fruitfully serve your king, in order and obedience.

The Earth King, exalted and wise, in his wisdom, sent away an agent, as written in the annals of…"

* * *

The past few days had been great, the stay in Ron'qen was a nice change after sailing the seas for so long. Sleeping in a palace was definitely better than sleeping in a small cabin on a ship, even though it was in good company. Good company Kala lacked the nights in Ron'qen. It was a step back, according to her, in that matter. It wasn't the time to force things, that would scare Akkik off and that wouldn't be according to plan. From the little things she knew of chief Adok's plan, she could reason that Akkik would end up in a powerful position, even though the relationship Akkik had with his father wasn't a good one. Now, she had her plans too; she wanted to end up in a good position as well. That is where Akkik came in, because he had a good position put away for him. It was only a plus that Akkik was a likeable person, and good looking as well, which would make it easier for her. The problem was that she didn't know if he liked her, or found her attractive in a way. She had told herself that, that would come in time, she would make it so. However, it seemed their nights together on the ships had changed nothing, since he was still acting the same to her, which was not what she wanted.

"Akkik, why do you have to be so darn chivalrous," she muttered agitatedly. "People in your position should take what they can get, like your father always does… and your brother. I mean, he has been accused of many things normal people would judge to be horrible, but you aren't normal. You all are royals, who rise out above the plebs… act like one for once."

"That is quite the ignorant view you have on us royals," it sounded from behind her. She was startled, but she immediately recognized the voice as not belonging to Akkik –thankfully.

"Chief Ghanak, please forgive me for talking so freely about you and your peers," Kala apologized humbly, slightly ashamed.

"You're forgiven," Ghanak replied casually. "I find it amusing to find out about your… _feelings_ for Akkik. It is too bad the boy is such a gentle spirit, isn't it?" Before she could even answer Ghanak's question, he continued: "How foul it is for you to abuse his trust so much that you're secretly trying to seduce him to get into a better position, for is that not what you are trying to do, Kala, daughter of Manak?"

"How dare you accuse me of such things," Kala snapped at the chief, immediately apologizing for her outburst.

"Oh, I know that I'm not a saint," Ghanak said, "but that would make me fit your prejudice of a royal, doesn't it? At least I never betrayed a fr… oh wait… I did once."

"I'm not betraying Akkik, I'm…"

"Using him, isn't that the same?" Ghanak asked. "Please enlighten me why that is any different, I might use it as an excuse in the future."

"But I like him too, it's just that…" Kala tried to object, but she was cut short.

"If you truly like him, don't proceed with what you're doing now, unless you want to estrange yourself from him," Ghanak said. "Your approach might have effect with power-hungry men like Adok, Zibak and Sodok, maybe even myself, but it surely won't work when it comes to Akkik. Somehow, he seemed not to have inherited all his father's bad traits –unlike Anoak, who has inherited them."

"And why should I take advice from you?" Kala asked.

"I might not be a saint, but I still have far more experience in everything life has to offer than you do, young girl. Though, if you don't want to take my advice, go ahead with how you've been doing so far and face the consequences your actions will have. You will be alone eventually," he said. "Don't worry though, because you can always try again. Akkik will be off-limits then, but you can always come back here and try your moves on me." He burst out into hard laughter after that, Kala laughed with him, but it wasn't genuine. She saw that Ghanak had a point, she was taking a wrong approach. The time spent without Akkik could now be used to devise a new strategy.

"_First thing to do: quit calling it a strategy…"_

* * *

The next morning, Kala was woken up by knocking on the door. She wasn't given time to get out of bed, because the doors opened immediately –she hadn't locked them the night before, and Akkik marched in.

"Get out of bed," he ordered, adding a harsh 'now'.

"What's wrong?" Kala asked, she panicked a little after hearing the severity in Akkik's voice; something was wrong.

"_What could be wrong?" _she asked herself. _"Could Ghanak have… no, he wouldn't… would he?"_ She wasn't sure. If Ghanak had told Akkik about what they talked about last night, Akkik could be putting her on the next ship to the South Pole to never see each other again, or…

"_Maybe he will punish me in a different way,"_ she thought. Again, foul thoughts entered her mind. She couldn't help it, it's how she was.

"What's wrong?" Akkik repeated her question, this time he sounded surprised. "Haven't you been notified earlier this morning?"

"Notified of what?" she asked, heaving an internal sigh. It was about something else, not about the non-existent thing between him and her.

"Chief Ghanak has called a war-meeting," Akkik explained, adding: "_We,_ are getting late…"

"I guess I wasn't invited then," Kala replied coolly. "Sleeping in sounds way better than attending a meeting I wasn't invited for." She turned around and closed her eyes again. She didn't hear Akkik leave, she only heard the impatient tapping of his feet on the floor.

"You're still here?" she asked, as she set up in bed after a short while. "You don't want to go either? If that's so you're welcome to join me and…"

"I'm not in the mood for your jokes Kala," Akkik said curtly. "Now get out of bed and get dressed, we need to go."

"Wow, you're really cranky today," Kala teased, jumping out of bed in a short night gown. She walked towards a closet and picked her clothes. She chose what was comfy, not what looked good. She turned to Akkik, who was still waiting in the middle of her room and stared at him.

"What?" Akkik asked.

"Are you going to watch me undress? And here I thought you were ever so prudish," she said.

"Oh, right, sorry," Akkik said, speeding out of the room.

"You can stay if you want," Kala yelled after him, she meant it literally as much as teasingly. Akkik interpreted it as teasing only.

"Very funny," he yelled from behind the doors. "Now hurry up will you!"

* * *

They arrived at the war-meeting, late, but the meeting hadn't started yet.

"Prince Akkik," Ghanak greeted from his throne in the war room, "so glad you could make it _in time_…"

"Please forgive me my tardiness, chief Ghanak, I…"

"Yes, yes, it is quite alright," Ghanak interrupted. "All men have their needs, do they not."

"Ehr… I don't believe that…"

"Oh, you didn't? The two of you aren't? Ah… well, isn't this awkward?" Ghanak chuckled. "Though your actions confuse me prince Akkik, why have you taken the girl to this meeting when she wasn't invited."

"Told you," Kala whispered in Akkik's ear.

"I thought you meant the two of us were welcome in this meeting, but if you want me to send Kala away…"

"No, no, she can stay… we've lost too much time by now so get seated and listen," the chief said.

"Men, and woman," he boomed from his throne. "I have exceptionally good news for you. This night, a message arrived at my palace doors and its contents delighted me and they will delight you. Not only has Gaoling been taken by my fellow chief Adok, but his forces also conquered the Unagi-peninsula." Everyone grinned upon hearing that message, they all knew what it meant for the Central Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom.

"Gentlemen, word has been sent to the kings of the Earth Kingdom. We are at war! As we speak, the forces we've gathered near the northern border will march into Earth Kingdom territory. I promise you, I will join them shortly. The question is, will you do the same?"

Everyone, including Akkik –which surprised Kala, answered with a yes.

"Good… then let us talk the strategy over one more time."

* * *

"Okay, it's safe," Kukuh whispered. He rolled over to Sen, bumping into his back.

"Perfect," Sen replied, "can you reach my hands?"

"Uh, wait a minute…" Kukuh said, reaching down with his bound hands.

"Hey, that's not my hand," Sen hissed.

"Sorry," Kukuh apologized, "but it's hard to see anything when I've got my back turned towards you…" Kukuh felt around with the hand he could move best, until he felt a piece of rope scraping along his hand. "Got it!"

"Great, now get me loose," Sen said, adding: "Hurry, a guard is looking at us."

"Has he seen us?" Kukuh asked, fidgeting with the rope binding Sen's hands together.

"No, I think not… I doubt that guy can see anything at all," Sen said dryly. He felt the rope tightening as Kukuh pulled at it, until it finally loosened.

"I think I've set you loose Sen," Kukuh whispered.

"I think so too," Sen said. He moved his hands apart, and the rope slid of his wrists. "Ah, wow," Sen sighed happily, rubbing his sore wrists. "That's better…" After having enjoyed a short wrist massage, Sen started to untie his feet. It took him quite a while, the knot had been tied tightly, tight enough to delay Sen for a long time. Finally, he was able to move normally again, unhindered by rope.

"How much longer are you going to enjoy your freedom, before you set me free?" Kukuh asked after Sen started to massage his ankles after he'd taken the rope off. He looked at Kukuh for a moment, shrugged and went back to massaging his ankles for a few seconds, just to tease Kukuh. Kukuh didn't take the bait though, but waited patiently. Sen turned over to Kukuh and started untying the rope around his feet.

"What are we going to do when we get caught?" Sen asked. "It's not that we can run, because they'll follow us and then we'd get the others in trouble too."

"You're right… if we can't get out and sneak away, we'll have to fight," Kukuh said.

"In that case their leader will be the hardest to beat, won't he?"

"Yes, so we should try to take him down first, when they're confused by the chaos our escape would have created," Kukuh replied, watching Sen's progression closely.

"Here you go," Sen said as he finished untying the rope around Kukuh's feet. He immediately crawled around Kukuh to get behind his back, so he could start on untying the rope binding Kukuh's arms.

"Why aren't you massaging my ankles?" Kukuh asked wittily.

"You're hilarious," Sen said sarcastically, chuckling afterwards. The rope around Kukuh's arms was tied even tighter, but this time it didn't take Sen as long, because the knot was easier to access. After a few seconds, Kukuh was free too, in a sense –they still were stuck in a cage, but luckily, Sen had figured out its weakness earlier on.

Kukuh and Sen crawled towards one of the upper corners of the cage, where a little string stuck out of the rope which held three stakes together. Kukuh judged it to be the cage's fatal weakness, because if they were able to untie that rope, or weaken it till they were able to snap it, they could create an opening large enough for someone to fit through when enough pressure would be applied. The person to get through first could then hold the opening open for the other one to climb through and then both would be free. It sounded simple enough, but executing that simple plan wasn't as simple. First of all, weakening that rope would take time, patience and a lot of luck. They would have to be as fast as possible, to reduce the chance of being caught and then, they would have to be strong enough to get the three stakes to either break, or move away from one another for someone to fit through. Sneaking away after getting out of the cage would be the easiest part, but that was still far away.

Kukuh and Sen started to pick away at the rope, Sen was handling the rope in the corner, while Kukuh picked away at a rope near the corner, because he saw the rope was a bit loose there. It was necessary for Sen to get his rope loose, or weakened, but it would be great if Kukuh was able to get the rope loose as well; it would make getting out of the cage only more easy. Kukuh was surprised to find out that he got rid of the rope earlier than Sen, so he looked around a bit to find more weaknesses, but he didn't find any. Sen was still busy, so Kukuh started to gnaw away at another joint near the corner. It actually proved to be effective, because the rope was of bad quality. Unlike Sen, who could only work with one little string, he was able to work with a dozen of them.

"Sen, try gnawing on the rope, this one was easy to get through," Kukuh whispered.

"I tried it, but it didn't work," Sen replied. "But I think…" he said, pulling at the rope, "that… I… hngh… 've done it!" He said it louder than he would have wanted, it would probably have alerted the soldiers to what they were doing. He and Kukuh froze, but it seemed that no one had heard Sen.

"Be a little quieter next time," Kukuh hissed, snapping the rope he was working on too. "This should be enough," he said, "let's try to get out of here…"

Sen hang onto the cage's ceiling and used both legs to push the surfaces away from one another. It was hard to get the surfaces to part, but they did eventually. The gap was large enough for Kukuh to crawl through, so he did.

That is when things got sour, because when Kukuh landed on the ground, he had to dodge a spear immediately.

"You filthy liar," the squad leader hissed, standing a few feet away in a water bending stance. "Men!" he yelled, shocking all his soldiers back to reality, even though all of them were drunk. They still were sane enough to realize their prisoner was trying to escape, so they grabbed their spears and surrounded Kukuh. Sen watched helpless from the cage as all soldiers closed in Kukuh, who had no clue what to do next. The squad leader drew his arms in, a tree stem cracked and a stream of water came out of it, making the tree wither immediately. That was an amazing feet, something Kukuh and Sen hadn't seen before, the southern warriors hadn't used that technique when they invaded Hia-Pao. The cage, and Sen in it, came crashing down, since the tree that had withered was the one the cage hang onto. The cage broke on multiple points, so Sen could break out quite easily. It mattered not, because he had five men, even though they were drunk, armed with spears standing in front of him, ready to strike. Kukuh was still surrounded, there was little both of them could do.

"Your attempt to break free has failed Avatar, you broke our deal," the squad leader said. "And because of that," he smirked, "I'm not bound to our deal anymore, which means… I can kill your friend!"

With that, the five men thrust forward at Sen, spears up front. Sen close his eyes, shocked at first, but accepting his fate immediately. He had tried, he had failed. He braced himself, hoping it would lessen the pain from his mortal wounds.

* * *

There was no pain, there only was a lot of noise. The earth began to shake and Sen could hear loud screams, but they weren't his nor Kukuh's. Sen opened his eyes, looking right into a bright blue light, coming from Kukuh's glowing eyes. He had one fist pounded into the earth, from which tremors expanded in a circle around him. Here and there, the earth opened beneath some of the soldiers, who fell down, after which the earth closed again, crushing the soldiers in between its mass. The squad leader looked around in horror, but didn't wait for another second and attacked. The stream of water, which he had drawn from the tree, shot forward at Kukuh in a tendril of highly pressurized water. Kukuh looked up, the squad leader stared directly at the Avatar's infuriated face, the glow radiating from his eyes was nearly blinding. Kukuh jumped up, moved his arms in a circular motion and bended the water around his body in a semi-circle. He redirected the tendril of water at the squad leader, who barely dodged it. He jumped to his side, but before he landed on the ground, he was struck by a blast of highly pressurized air. He smacked into a tree, which broke under the force of the air blast. The squad leader fell down on his knees and uttered his last words.

"I made a big mista…"

His statement was cut short when his head was crushed as a large rock crashed into it. Kukuh's attention turned towards the remainder of the soldiers, who wavered and fled. The mayhem and onslaught Kukuh had caused wasn't enough to calm him down, instead he only seemed to be getting more angry. He hurled one rock after another at the fleeing soldiers and every single soldier was hit, killing almost every soldier immediately. One soldier survived, as only his leg was shattered. Kukuh moved in for the finishing blow, his fists glowed in the form of a flame, but when he was about to land the final blow, Sen held him back. Kukuh nearly struck Sen instinctively, but he stopped right in time.

"Kukuh, stop," he pleaded, "this is more than enough…"

Kukuh stared at him, his eyes still glowed intensely. Sen's eyes were filled with compassion, whereas Kukuh's eyes were filled with hate and frustration. Sen felt terrified, Kukuh looked unlike himself, but he stayed at his side. The glow started to dim, until it disappeared entirely. Kukuh fell into Sen's arms, he was exhausted.

"W-what was t-that," he stammered, sounding utterly exhausted.

"I don't know Kukuh, but it was scary…" Sen whispered, still flustered. "But you did it, you saved the two of us…"

* * *

The exodus of the Central Water Tribe had begun, troops marched into Earth Kingdom territory en masse. Most parts of the Grand Central Army didn't march northwards, towards Omashu, but marched to the east instead, to make camp outside the Central Water Tribe borders. Akkik had wondered why Ghanak would make such a strange move, but he dared not question the chief. He and Kala marched in front of the army, together with Ghanak and two of his generals, in the personal company of the chief. They were all mounted on spiked salamanders, which were mounts you'd easily get used to, Akkik found. Akkik had been impressed, the Central Water Tribe's army was more advanced than he'd thought in the past and they were more numerous as well. However, when he compared it to the armies of his own tribe, they were still inferior. Akkik glanced to his left, where Kala rode next to him. She'd been behaving strangely for the past few days. At times, she was like her normal self, making her trademark dirty jokes, while at other times she was behaving clingy. Now she her mind seemed to be somewhere else, which Akkik understood. Kala had expected to meet her father in Ron'qen, but he'd left before they arrived. Kala hadn't reacted like she was devastated by it, but he knew that deep inside, Kala would have cried when she found out her father had left already. He envied her, her relationship with her father. They were so close, which made Kala's position more tragic at the moment. His father didn't hate him, but he knew that he didn't love him either. To be honest, it was the same way around. His thoughts drifted off, back to the moment he met his father on the Earth Kingdom coast. He remembered what his father told him to do, his father forced him to make a move on Kala, but he just couldn't. Sure, Kala was nice, but she had been his best friend for a long time, he felt uncomfortable confronting her with the question of starting a relationship. What would he tell her, that his father wanted him and her to marry and live happily ever after? He shook his head, that would make him look like an idiot. He looked at Kala once more, she was a beautiful girl, and even though she sometimes made a dirty joke, she looked so innocent. It was still a weird thing Akkik didn't understand, both of them were considered adults, but she was still a child in his book. He even considered himself to be a child, while he would be considered an adult all over the world.

"I hate being in this position," he whispered to himself. No one heard, no one minded, he was alone in his conflictions.

* * *

The sun had risen for about six hours when Kukuh and Sen finally arrived back at where their camp had been. The camp had been broken up, but Ol'Pong, Sali and Ling were still waiting, sitting on their packed bags. When they saw Sen and Kukuh emerging from the forest, they all heaved a deep sigh of relief. Ol'Pong and Ling stayed behind, but Sali jumped up and ran towards her two friends. She spread her arms and embraced her friends warmly.

"Where have the two of you been?" Ol'Pong asked, trying to sound angry, but happy relief sounded through every word.

"We run into a squad of soldiers in the forest," Sen answered as Kukuh was still a bit shaky. Ol'Pong's eyes widened, he held his hand in front of his mouth to suppress a gasp.

"Have the southern armies progressed that far already?!" he asked fearfully.

"They… weren't southern warriors Ol'Pong," Kukuh said with difficulty. "The Central Water Tribe is in on all this!"

"But… what happened after you ran into them?" Ling wondered.

"We got captured, then we tried to escape, but we got caught, then…" Sen went silent.

"I-I… I became so angry and suddenly I… I felt so much power and… I suddenly started bending like I never have done before," Kukuh said shakily. "I killed all of them," he added bitterly.

"I see," Ol'Pong said slowly, putting a hand on Kukuh's shoulder. "You did what you had to do Kukuh."

"That's not all though," Sen added, knowing that there was an army after them. "A man named Manak is chasing us, and he has brought a small army with him. They are closing in, so we need to get out of here immediately!"

"How far are they?" Sali asked. The atmosphere had changed from relieved to anxious in just a matter of seconds.

"Close…" Kukuh said, looking at the forest behind him.

_"Here I come, Avatar!"_


	14. Chapter 14: The Sacrifice

14. The Sacrifice

* * *

"We need to hurry, come on!" Ol'Pong yelled, running in front of the group. Sali, Kukuh and Sen had found it to be strange at first, when they saw how quick on his feet the old man was, but realizing their lives were on the line, they could understand the sudden influx of energy. Ol'Pong looked over his shoulder, he saw a small cloud of dust at the horizon.

"Do you see that cloud?" he asked, yelling over his shoulder.

"Yes!" the four teenagers replied in unison.

"That cloud means soldier, they're getting closer, so we'll need to go faster!"

Kukuh sprinted up towards Ol'Pong, until he ran next to the old man.

"Is something wrong?" Ol'Pong asked him.

"I don't think I can do this for a long time," Kukuh said. "Yesterday's ordeal has really tired me."

Ol'Pong knew what Kukuh meant with yesterday's ordeal. He didn't refer to the fact that they'd ran from Manak and his little army for the entire day, and large part of the night, but to the experience he had in the forest, when he escaped.

"And it bothers you, doesn't it?" Ol'Pong asked.

"Yes," Kukuh said whilst panting. "I don't know what happened to me, but somehow I felt so powerful all of a sudden."

"But that's not what's bothering you," Ol'Pong stated. Kukuh agreed again, he had detected that correctly as well.

"It's not about the power, you're right, because that felt really good, to be honest. What frightened me was that I felt so angry all of a sudden. I wanted to harm all those soldiers, even though I knew they were only following orders from a madman who was hiding further into the forest, but I simply didn't care. I hated them and I wanted them dead."

"I see…"

"But that's not all," Kukuh continued, "because with every soldier I killed, I became more angry, because I couldn't prevent those needless deaths. That wanted me to kill the others even more… I was caught in a vicious circle," he said disgustedly, "spiraling down into anguish."

"What do you want me to say?" Ol'Pong asked, not knowing how to react to what Kukuh told him.

"I don't know," the boy said downtrodden. "Perhaps you could tell me what I was going through… what was happening to me…"

"You didn't know that yourself?" Ol'Pong asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "You were in the Avatar State, most probably. It is what makes the Avatar really powerful, but I don't know much more about it. All I know is that the Avatar must learn to control it to really be called an Avatar."

"Well, from what I've experienced, I doubt I'd ever want to control it," Kukuh said.

"You will have to eventually," Ol'Pong said, smiling warmly at Kukuh. "You're the Avatar after all."

"_Of course, play the 'you're the Avatar' card… Just because I'm the Avatar, doesn't mean that I have to do everything people expect me to be doing, right?"_ Kukuh thought. It was tiring to live under such high expectations already, he couldn't imagine how hard it would be once he would get to Omashu –if he would get to Omashu… From the looks of it, Manak and his comrades were closing in on them faster than he'd hoped for.

"Don't worry Kukuh," Ol'Pong said, "I know you're not sure about the whole Avatar ordeal, but I'm sure the moment will come that you can say that you're the Avatar with pride."

"I doubt it…" Kukuh mumbled, but Ol'Pong could hear him. "I think I'll be taken prisoner once more before dawn…"

"Don't think like that Kukuh, we're still ahead of them," Ol'Pong objected, "we'll probably run into a band of soldiers before they get to us."

"The problem is…" Kukuh said, panting heavily, "I really need to sit… down…"

"Alright then, we will take a short break for you to recover," Ol'Pong said. "But if you're not fit to run within a few minutes, I will carry you on my back."

"As if…" Kukuh sniggered, sitting down on the ground to catch his breath. Sali, Sen and Ling walked up to him and Ol'Pong in the meantime, asking if something was wrong with Kukuh. Kukuh told them he was fine, but that he needed a moment to catch his breath.

"Well hurry up then," Sen said anxiously, looking over his shoulder every few seconds. "I don't fancy getting caught by those soldiers again. One time was more than enough for me, to be honest…"

* * *

The villagers of Zhong Xing had woken up like it was just another normal day. However, the day turned out to be quite different when out of a sudden, they found themselves invaded by a squad of soldiers from the Central Water Tribe. They came from the south, riding spiked salamanders, headed by two officers. They came out of nowhere, it confused the villagers, because they had no idea that they were at war with the water tribes, let alone the Central Water Tribe. It was also strange that the squad came from the south, instead of the west, where the Central Water Tribe was closest. The squad would have taken a little detour by going through the forest.

"What are you doing here?" the mayor demanded to know. He asked the leader of the host, who looked down on the mayor from his mount. He, like the other officer, was seated on a creature the mayor had never seen before. It was a huge, white, doglike creature with a bloodthirsty look in its eyes. The leader grinned deviously, stretching the crescent scar on his jaw.

"We are looking for someone, who might be hiding here," he said.

"We've had no one passing through our village for weeks," the mayor said. "This village is not exactly built along the most travelled routes."

"I believe you," the man said. "Though you seem to be unaware of the ongoing war…"

"War?" the mayor asked in shock. "What war?"

"Seriously? A squad of armed water tribe warriors march into your village without a legitimate reason and you still fail to see what war I'm talking about?" the man asked indignantly. "You're too stupid to be allowed to live." He drew his sword and hacked into the mayor's neck. With one clean slice, the mayor's head fell off. His red blood colored the soil around his headless torso. Women and children screamed when they saw it happen, the men jumped in front of them, as if they could protect them that way. The doglike creature feasted on the mayor's torso, shredding it to little pieces and devouring them with pleasure.

"Are we allowed to take what we want, captain?" the other officer asked his superior. The officer was still a little kid, not even old enough to be considered an adult in the Earth Kingdom. It was impressive, and at the same time frightening, to see that such a young person had made it to such a high rank in the army of the water tribes.

"No," the leader answered resolutely. "He's not here, which means we are wasting time looking around here. Raiding this village would only give him more time to get ahead of us and I don't want that happening again. We should have captured him yesterday, but I underestimated him once more. I will _not_ give him more time to pull another stunt of me, I've had enough!" With that, the leader took off, riding northwards. He was immediately followed by the officer and the entire squad, save for a wounded soldier.

"We will come back here," a soldier said when he handed his wounded comrade over to one of the villagers. "If we find out that our friend didn't make it, we will burn this village to the ground and kill all your children." The villager understood that the soldier was serious about it, but he hadn't planned on killing the wounded soldier anyway. It was deemed highly dishonorable to kill a wounded man handed over into your custody, even though when that man was your enemy. He didn't know how people in the water tribes thought about it on that subject, but it was an unwritten law in the Earth Kingdom to take good care of the injured. There was no difference between friend or enemy when it came to the wounded, they all had to be helped. Not only would someone defile the honor of the entire Earth Kingdom, the ancestors and spirits wouldn't be pleased either.

"Easy there," Chu said. He had carried the wounded soldier into his house and put him down on his son's bed.

"Who've you brought to our home?" his wife, Ying, asked.

"Soldiers passed through our village," Chu explained. "They left this wounded soldier, so we need to take care of him."

"Why did soldiers pass through our…"

"We are at war, dear," Chu said. "The water tribes have invaded the Earth Kingdom, from what I've heard."

"But why should we harbor one of theirs, if they have declared war on us. Why should a piece of filth like him stay here, in Sheng's bed? Why is he worthy enough to sleep where our son should sleep?" Ying asked indignantly.

"Because if we don't take good care of him," Chu explained, "they will know when they get back and they will burn down our village. Do you want that to happen?"

"No, no…" Ying said, calming down after her outburst. "I just can't wrap my head around it… war… with the water tribes…"

"I know," Chu said, kissing his wife on her cheek. "But we shouldn't worry. Let's take good care of this soldier, because that'll only pay off in the future." Chu turned his attention to the soldier, who lied on his son's bed. His wound didn't look good, his lower leg was shattered.

"What in the name of the spirits happened to you?" Chu wondered out loud. He didn't like the soldier on his bed, but he couldn't help to feel sorry for him. He looked at the soldier's face, it was a young man, but not much older than twenty years.

"You'll probably lose the leg," Chu said. "Such a shame, to lose a leg at such a young age… war isn't fair, is it?"

* * *

The days of the elderly come along with many deficiencies, but also a lot of joy. It was a joy to see the grandchildren grow up and bring their lovers before the patriarch of the family. It was amusing to see them squirm before a king as mighty as he, king Batu of Omashu, who despite of his high age, was still occupying the throne of Omashu. He was in a better shape since the start of the war with the Southern Water Tribe, though he still had trouble walking. He didn't spend his days in bed, or on his own room, anymore, but opted to receive his guests in the throne room again. When he was having a good day, he would choose to make a tour around his beloved city, to enjoy the sunlight and the fresh air, the people on the street, the busy life on the markets and all the other scenes so common in the city. The threat of war was still far away, but because of that not less real. More so, because parts of his territories were falling quickly into the hands of Adok and his troops. The fall of Daoshe was unfortunate, but most troops were able to flee with a lot of civilians by boat, which on its own was fortunate.

"Your majesty," Thoo whispered in the old king's ear, "wake up. You have a guest." The king sat on his throne, it was a simple thing made of stone in a large, but equally simple throne room. In front of him stood a messenger, wearing the attire of the Long Road Messengers guild. The guild handled the mail between Omashu and Ron'qen, and was one of the fastest mail services in the world that only employed humans.

"Your majesty," the messenger said. "I bear word for you from chief Ghanak of the Central Water Tribe."

"What is it?" the king asked. He already knew the contents of the message, he had received a warning from the Earth King earlier that day.

"Chief Ghanak hereby informs you that the Central Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom are at war," the messenger said. His expression was blank, but Batu could see that the man didn't feel at ease. He saw that the man stirred from within, that fear was filling his heart.

"So be it…" Batu noted. He wasn't surprised, but all the more sad that his intelligence officers were right. For weeks, Ghanak had been gathering troops near the northern border. When he learnt of it, he knew that it was only a matter of time before war would be declared.

"Leave, messenger," Batu spoke. "Go to your home and gather your family. Bring them to Omashu, because the outside world will not be safe for you, or your family." The messenger nodded and ran off, forgetting to bow before the king. Normally, a few days in prison would be a proper punishment for such disrespect, but the king allowed him to get away with it. Family was more important than protocol in times of war –in certain situations.

"Thoo," the king spoke to his servant. "Could you summon general Ponnau to my throne?" he asked. "I believe he is in the city. If he's not, get me the next highest ranking general."

"Of course your majesty," Thoo said, bowing before his king.

"And tell Thuu to notify all remaining generals of this new situation. All generals will get new orders shortly." Thoo nodded and sped out of the throne room. It was important to notify the few officers that were still outside the city walls of the new situation, otherwise they might be caught by surprise. That could result in needless losses of troops, which was something Batu couldn't allow to happen.

After a while, Thoo came back into the throne room. He bowed before his king and said: "General Ponnau waits outside for you to call him in."

"Very good Thoo, thank you," the king replied. "Though I fear you aren't allowed to be present during our meeting."

"Of course, your majesty," Thoo said. He bowed once more and left the throne room through a door near the left corner of the room. That door led to the servants' quarters, where Thoo could rest. The king waited for a while, then he called for general Ponnau. The tall man walked in, his hair was hastily done in a top-knot, Batu saw, it wasn't a tidy as Ponnau used to wear it.

"You called for me, your majesty?" general Ponnau asked as he knelt down before the king.

"Yes Ponnau," Batu said. "Rise…" The general answered to Batu's command. He stood up, towering over the hunched king.

"Moment ago, I received word from Ghanak the Younger, chief of the Central Water Tribe. Ponnau… we are at war with not only the Southern Water Tribe, but also with the Central Water Tribe. I fear that the Eastern and Western Water Tribe will declare war on the Earth Kingdom on short notice as well…"

"That is troubling…" Ponnau mumbled, "but it's nothing our armies can't handle, I assure you, your majesty. If all our soldiers will gather here in Omashu, we can hold out longer than the water tribes could besiege us. They will lose focus and then we will strike mercilessly."

"That's not going to be our strategy," Batu argued. "I will not let the water tribes march over us uncontested. They've taken Gaoling, Daoshe and all the villages that lie in between. I've heard reports of how they raided Hia-Pao and burnt it to the ground… Hia-Pao, that's where the Avatar lived! We cannot let this continue!"

"What do you wish me to do then, your majesty," Ponnau asked. He didn't agree with king Batu, but he knew better than to go against what the king had in mind.

"Dispatch a few regiments to the oasis in the Si Wong desert. The rest must form a front line along the Long Road," king Batu said.

"What if we fail to get the troops there in time?" Ponnau asked, wanting to hear the king's backup plan.

"Make them get there in time," the king commanded.

"You mentioned the Avatar earlier," Ponnau said. "Did you receive word from him?"

"No," the king said sadly. "I fear the worst, although something inside of me says that the Avatar is still alive… I do wonder what became of him, and where he is at the moment…"

* * *

He spurred Shredder again, forcing the creature to run even faster. They'd caught onto the Avatar's trail again a short while after they'd left Zhong Xing. Manak noticed that the footprints were getting increasingly fresh, but he also saw that the footprints had formed under a lot of pressure.

"_They know we are getting near,"_ he concluded. That was fine with him, the anxiety could have a paralyzing effect on his prey.

"What are you smiling about?" Kun asked.

"We are gaining in on them," Manak answered. "They won't slip through my fingers this time."

How angry had he been when he met up with squad B at squad A's camp to find out it had been demolished completely. From the twenty men he'd sent out, only one had survived and that person was half-drunk and he had a shattered leg. He'd looked around the camp, there were a lot of bodies lying around, but there were also a lot of bodies missing. It had been shocking to find out what happened there, once the sole survivor was sober enough to tell him a coherent story.

"_Avatar… glow… too strong…"_ he had said. It was a troubling message. The Avatar had been in the Avatar State and Manak knew what that meant. Adok had talked to him about it once. On the day they killed Kalak, Adok had witnessed the power of the Avatar State. According to Adok, the Avatar could boost his power by going into the Avatar State, making him even more lethal.

"_As if bending all the elements isn't enough power on its own…" _Manak thought. That wasn't the only concerning thing poor Qoshan had told him. He said the Avatar could bent water and air, as well as earth. That was especially concerning, because that could mean that the Avatar had already mastered the basics of those elements. He wondered how the Avatar had achieved that, as far as he knew, the Avatar couldn't bend the other elements when he first faced him. That meant the Avatar had learned the basics during his flight, but that was too short of a period for the Avatar to learn all that.

"_Unless… unless he is a prodigy…"_ Manak reasoned. _"But then he would have fought alongside his escorts when I ambushed him… there was no reason for him to run, a prodigy Avatar would have easily defeated me, even though I'm a strong bender myself. Why didn't he? Maybe… maybe the Avatar State isn't just something to boost the Avatar's already existent powers… maybe it provided him with the skill to suddenly bend all the other elements… but that's just a hunch. One thing I know for sure, when we take the Avatar captive, I must be on my guard, because he has proven to be very effective when you least expect it."_

"_Perhaps he allowed himself to get caught, just to find out who's after him… and then, when his captors least expected it, he revealed all his power and slaughtered them… maybe he'll do the same to me…"_

It was a scary thought, a thought Manak didn't want to accept, but it popped up in his mind periodically, turning him ever more paranoid. He wanted to catch the Avatar badly, but he was getting second thoughts about it. Kun noticed and asked him what was wrong.

"I'm having second thoughts, Kun," Manak said. "The longer we are chasing the Avatar, the more I got to know about him, but I hadn't expected him to be so powerful that he could take down twenty soldiers on his own in a matter of seconds, elite soldiers above all…"

"What, you're kidding, right?" Kun asked, repeating, "Right?" once more after he got not immediate answer.

"I'm not kidding, Kun," Manak said. He was seriously having doubts.

"Well, we can't turn around now… we've nearly caught him!" Kun said. "You shouldn't be afraid of someone who beat twenty blind drunk idiots. He might have been able to fight them, but he won't stand against thirty soldiers and the two of us."

"Kun, you don't understand," Manak said.

"Then enlighten me," the lieutenant responded boldly. It was something Manak could admire about young Kun, that fearlessness, the bold statements towards his superiors. According to protocol, he would have to discipline Kun for speaking against a superior like that, but he wasn't an official captain anymore, so why would he enforce the military protocol when it wasn't necessary?

"The Avatar used the Avatar State, in which he is very powerful, more powerful than all of us together," Manak explained. He could talk aloud, since they were riding far ahead of the squad. They wouldn't hear them talking about the Avatar.

"Okay, so he might be more powerful, but we can be smarter," Kun replied. "We've got sober, elite scouts with us. They can move fast and undetected. We distract the Avatar, while they take him down from behind. Then we only need to contain him till we get him to Ron'qen."

"Hmm, yes… it might be better to take him to Ron'qen and invite Adok there," Manak said. "Adok might not be totally happy about it, but that doesn't matter if we can get a good position in the Central Water Tribe army because of our actions…"

"See, think positively," Kun said. "You were the one to teach me that in the first place."

"I hate it when you're right like that," Manak groaned.

"I will make it up to you once we're back in Ron'qen," Kun pouted. "When we've got the Avatar behind bars."

"Shoqal is coming," Manak noted as he heard Shoqal spurring his spiked salamander. "Let's tell him the truth so he won't be caught off-guard when we engage the Avatar."

* * *

"They're gaining on us fast," Ling concluded, looking at the cloud of dust at the horizon behind them. "We won't be able to outrun them," he said worriedly.

"Indeed," Ol'Pong agreed sadly. He looked at the four children around him, they were exhausted. That was no surprise, they'd been running for the entire day and throughout the entire night, but it now seemed to be of no avail, since Manak and his squad were still on their heels. What could they do now, try to run as far as they could, hoping to encounter the army of Omashu? No, that was futile, Batu probably had his armies hoarded away in the city itself. Their only option was to fight, but Ol'Pong doubted that would turn out well. Ling seemed to be willing to fight, but Kukuh wouldn't hold out long and neither would Sen. He doubted that Sali would hold out long, she looked tired as well. That would mean he and Ling would have to fight a group of more than thirty, including a high ranking military man who must have had access to elite training, otherwise he would not be tasked in retrieving the Avatar.

"What do we do?" Sali asked to no one in particular, she was panicking.

"What can we do?" Kukuh replied, he had given up already. "It has been a great time with all of you, but… I can't go on like this, we can't go on like this. They don't want the four of you, they want me."

"What are you saying, Kukuh?" Sen asked.

"Leave me behind, get to Omashu," Kukuh answered. "They won't chase you once they've caught the person they're searching."

"We can't let you do that," Sali said, tears came to her eyes. "You're our friend, we won't leave you… I won't leave you." She hugged him tightly and was unwilling to let go. Kukuh patted on her back, he was scarily calm.

"You'll need to, otherwise all of us will die," he said, freeing himself from Sali's embrace. With one of his hands, he wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Please, leave me," he begged, "I was destined to do this."

There was no rebuttal from Kalak, only his friends tried to change his mind. It seemed that Kalak too, was thinking the same, which made Kukuh feel more confident about his decision. Kalak had always scolded him for thinking about turning himself over to the enemy, but now he didn't.

"_Kalak must feel the same about this…"_ Kukuh thought. _"Or he trusts me to make the right decision on my own… but what is the right decision. If I go through with this, I might end up throwing the world out of balance, only to save a few of my friends. That's not what an Avatar should do… but… The Avatar has to protect the innocent, and Ol'Pong, Sali, Ling and Sen are innocent in my book, so I need to protect them and this is the only way."_

"Think about what will happen to the world, once you die!" Ol'Pong yelled at him. Ol'Pong was angry with him, because if Kukuh would die, he would not only have failed his King, but the Earth Kingdom would have no hope for at least fifteen years. Ol'Pong wondered if the Earth Kingdom would hold out for that long, Omashu certainly wouldn't, nor Taku. Ba Sing Se might hold out, but the casualties would surpass the million mark with ease. It would take the Earth Kingdom centuries to recover, and that's on the condition that the next Avatar would be able to save the Earth Kingdom before it crumbled. That was a scary thought, the mighty Earth Kingdom falling apart. What would happen to all its citizens, they would be taken out of the caring hands of the Earth King. Children without a father would certainly perish, so even more people would die afterwards. That was something he had to prevent at all costs, he shouldn't allow Kukuh to sacrifice himself. And for what? A few peasants and a Royal Secret Agent... that wasn't right.

"I've made my decision," Kukuh said resolutely. "I want to do this, there is no other way!"

"_Trust me, Ol'Pong,"_ Kukuh added in his thoughts. _"I know what's at risk, I'm the freaking Avatar… but I won't try my luck and take you down with me. I won't go down in history as the Avatar who cowered and took his friends with him when he fell. What would that say about the Avatar as an entity, as an authority?"_

"Is there no other way? Have you considered everything?" Ol'Pong asked, still angered by the boy's stubbornness.

"I have made my decision and I'll stand by it," Kukuh insisted. He was calm, but intensely sad. He'd rather had lived in a time of piece, then the duties of being an Avatar wouldn't have been so tough. He lived in a time of war, however, so he had no other choice than to make tough decisions and this was his first, and probably final one. It saddened him deeply, to say goodbye to all his friends, whom he dearly loved. Especially Sali, who was the first to accompany him on his journey and with whom he had shared a long time of friendship. They had shared many secrets, like the time when he found out she was a water bender. How much he longed to go back in time to that moment, when he still lived in his little world where the biggest problem was figuring out how to outrun Sen and Ling, or making up an excuse to miss Shaku why he failed his earth bending practice once more.

"Go," he said sadly. "Now!"

* * *

He had been very surprised to find out that Shoqal and his squad knew about the Avatar all along. Ghanak hadn't been as naïve as he once had thought him to be. Now he had little to worry about, so he could completely focus on catching the Avatar. Kun had been able to reassure him, how could've ever thought about giving up. That was so unlike him, he was brave, powerful, self-assured and most of all worthy enough to capture the Avatar. Had the universe not given him enough signs that he was destined to capture the Avatar?

"_It'll be risky, but worth it in the end. If I pull this off, my honor will finally be restored. I will finally be able to be proud of myself again, things will be as they should have been in the first place,"_ he thought. He looked around him, everywhere he looked he saw flat earthy plains, with here and there some patches of green grass, a single tree or a green bush to lighten the place up. He didn't like the Earth Kingdom, he preferred the stretching ice plains of the South Pole, or the warm archipelago that was his birthplace. He hadn't been there for many years, not since Sodok took him to the South Pole to meet Adok. He wondered if his village had changed over the time that had passed, he wondered if his parents were still alive. It's funny, he never told Kala about them. It was not that he didn't love them, but he thought it to be useless to tell his daughter about people she would probably never meet.

"_I should tell her about them once I see her again,"_ he told himself. He wondered how his baby girl was doing. She would probably be driving Kaya crazy at the South Pole, or trying to hit on Akkik.

"_She'd better be doing that,"_ he thought, _"Adok would like to see it that way."_ That was just an excuse, he knew that. He too wanted her to have a relationship with the prince, because he wanted her to move to the top of the water tribe hierarchy and that was the highest possible place still up for grabs.

"_Would I have forced her to marry Anoak if he was free?"_ Manak wondered. _"Probably,"_ he concluded. It might sound cruel, but his daughter would have understood. Besides, Anoak was older, much older than her, but he was still a good match. Too bad Adok had different plans many years ago. He couldn't blame Adok for having his own plans, every intelligent man had them.

"_Does that make me intelligent?"_ he asked himself. He had to agree, of course, he would deem himself worthy to be placed among the most intelligent people of the world. That might sound as if he was bragging about his abilities, but he had proven it over the course of the past few weeks. Even though the Avatar had a huge head start and he had a few setbacks, he had caught up. He had found a solution to every trick the Avatar played on him, and now, the coward was running from him.

"_Or is he now?"_ Manak asked himself, as a single figure emerged at the horizon. Manak narrowed his eyes, trying to sharpen the image in front of him, but it made not much of a difference. At the horizon, he saw a single figure, one silhouette waiting for them to catch up.

"Change of plans, Kun, Shoqal," Manak commented. "It seems the Avatar has changed his mind. He is waiting for us to catch up with him."

"What an idiot," Shoqal laughed, "he would be better off trying to outrun us. What is he going to do, fight us all at once?"

"I think he's going to do just that, Shoqal," Manak replied. They were gaining on the Avatar quickly, his silhouette started to increase in size rapidly. Manak felt anxiety rise within him, he was so close to his goal.

"_It seems he's alone,"_ Manak noted as no other silhouettes appeared on the horizon. _"He's facing us to save his friends… how pathetic."_

"What would have gotten into him, that he would sacrifice his freedom, and life, like that?" Kun wondered. "Why did he flee from us in the first place, only to let himself get caught in the middle of nowhere?"

"He wants to save his friends, Kun," Manak said, speaking out what he'd thought at first. "He doesn't want to drag his friends down with him, which is a stupid thing to do if you ask me…"

They were getting near now, the Avatar's silhouette grew more in size. Anxiety grew even more within Manak. He was so close now, he could nearly touch his objective. All the stress of the past few days was coming to a climax. He tensed up, his heart beat in his throat at high pace. His palms were clammy and sweat trickled down his forehead. His breathing became heavier and faster paced. He longed for everything to be over soon, so his life could finally go on like it should have gone in the first place. He could then finally return victoriously, he would be able to see his daughter again.

How horrible it was when all the anxiety and desire turned into grave disappointment when he finally saw the lonely person more clearly. It was a man, but not the man he was searching for, this man was far too old.

* * *

"_NO!"_ he screamed from the inside. He was able to withhold himself from bursting out like that in the presence of the soldiers, but he could barely control himself.

"_That runt has done it again!"_ he thought as he closed in on the old man. It was clear to him now, someone else had made the sacrifice.

* * *

"No Kukuh," Ol'Pong said when Kukuh commanded him to leave. "You go."

"What do you mean?" Kukuh asked, confused by the old man's command.

"You said you had considered every possible option, but you've forgotten that there's still another way," Ol'Pong answered.

"I don't understand," Kukuh mumbled.

"Then let me explain," Ol'Pong said. Kukuh nodded and listened to Ol'Pong.

"They've been able to follow us this far, because we've let behind a clear track," Ol'Pong explained. "But we can fool them with those tracks."

"How were you planning to do that, Ol'Pong," Sali asked.

"I will stay here, while you continue your way. But as you guys walk, you should erase your tracks behind you," Ol'Pong said.

"Wait, what? I can't let you stay behind Ol'Pong," Kukuh objected.

"Just hear me out Kukuh," Ol'Pong said, "I haven't finished talking yet."

"While the four of you go ahead in a certain direction, I will create a trail in the opposite direction for as far as I can get," Ol'Pong said. "That way, you will have enough time to get somewhere more easy to hide."

"But what about you?" Sen asked.

"Don't worry about me, Sen," Ol'Pong said. "I will be alright." He didn't expect them to believe him, he didn't believe himself, but he hoped it would be enough to get the children to listen to him. He knew he would face an angry water bender at the end of the line, but he would be prepared for him. He had the advantage that everyone saw him as a frail old man, whilst he was a deadly agent in the service of the Earth King. He would give Manak a nasty surprise at the end of his chase, a fatal surprise if it were up to him.

"You think your plan will work?" Kukuh asked. He felt conflicted; he didn't feel comfortable about leaving Ol'Pong alone to face that creep Manak, but on the other hand he felt relieved to hear that he didn't have to sacrifice himself.

"I'm as sure as someone could be," Ol'Pong said. "Because I know the perfect way to execute my plan. Manak will expect the three of you to run in one straight line towards Omashu, doesn't he?"

"I guess," Sen answered, "but I don't see how… wait a minute… you aren't possibly suggesting that? No, that's crazy!"

"I am suggesting that," Ol'Pong said, smiling like a little genius.

"What is he suggesting?" Ling asked, feeling left out of the plan. He didn't understand what Sen and Ol'Pong were talking about and it bothered him, because Kukuh and Sali were catching on.

"You must flee towards the Central Water Tribe," Ol'Pong said.

"Are you crazy?!" Sali, Ling and Kukuh yelled in unison, but the old man shook his head.

"I'm not, because I'm certain that plan will work," he said. "Allow me to explain."

"This better be a good explanation," Ling muttered, "because I'm not convinced…"

"This Manak person knows that the five of us want to get to Omashu, so he will never suspect that the four of you have taken a detour through the Central Water Tribe. I will make sure he'll never find out, because I will make the trail we left look like we headed straight for Omashu. He will think the four of you are far ahead of him again and he will chase you even harder. He won't know, however, that you guys are hiding in the Central Water Tribe. By the time it becomes clear to him that the four of you are hiding in the Central Water Tribe, you'll be on your way to Omashu again, taking a different route. He'll never be able to get to you that way," Ol'Pong explained.

"Okay, I must say that sounds like a good plan, but I don't like the idea of leaving you behind," Kukuh said. He had to admit, this plan could work, but he knew, as well as all the others, that Ol'Pong wouldn't survive the ordeal.

"_What would an old man be able to do against thirty soldiers?"_

"Kukuh," Ol'Pong said warmly, kneeling down in front of him. "I know you feel conflicted about all this, but I promise you, it is for the best. The world needs you more than it needs me, let's face it. I'm not the Avatar, I'm an old man. You still have so much to live for, whereas I have seen and done everything I wanted to do in my life. Kukuh, I've lived my life to the fullest extent, I can let go of it. You are still young and the world needs you… don't make me force you to let me go. Give the old man the glorious exit he deserves."

Kukuh embraced the old man and shed a plenty of tears. It was hard to let go, but he saw the need of it.

"This way, I can be of importance in this war too," Ol'Pong chuckled. Kukuh nodded, still sobbing audibly. Ol'Pong turned to Sali, who hugged him too.

"Be well, Sali," he whispered in her ear. "It's up to you now to be a good counsel to Kukuh, when he is in need of advice. You are a bright girl, and talented, don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"We can't do without you," she whispered back. She had a big lump in her throat, but she couldn't allow herself to cry, she had done so too much in the past weeks, she had to be strong.

"You know you can," Ol'Pong replied, breaking away from her hug.

"Sen… what do I need to say to you?" he wondered out loud. "You know how it is to be on the verge of death. I don't need to tell you how it feels." He put a hand on Sen's shoulder and whispered to him. "I trust you will do everything you can to keep Kukuh safe, to make the right decisions and come up with inventive plans… will you promise me to keep Kukuh safe? Will you promise me to help him to achieve what he is destined to achieve?"

"I promise, Ol'Pong," Sen said.

He sent Sen away, after Kukuh and Sali, whom he had sent away earlier, in the direction of the Central Water Tribe; only Ling remained.

"It seems I won't be training you for as long as I had wished," the old man noted sadly.

"Will you return?" Ling asked bluntly.

"Honestly…" Sipong sighed, "I do not know…"

"But you will put up a fight, won't you?"

"Oh yes, I will give all I have. It might not be enough, but it will surely slow that bastard down," Sipong replied. "He will know what facing a Royal Secret Agent means, I promise you Ling."

"I've learnt so much from you," Ling said, tears welled up in his eyes, making them sting a little. "I don't know how I can thank you…"

"You don't need to thank me, Ling," Sipong said, pulling the boy into a fatherly embrace. "But you need to promise me that you will bring Kukuh to Omashu, safe and sound. Promise me Ling!"

"I will bring him to Omashu," Ling promised. "And if that man kills you, Sipong, I promise that I will avenge your death."

"Don't avenge _my _death, Ling… avenge the deaths of all the innocent civilians that have died in this needless war… avenge your father!" Sipong looked over his shoulder, seeing the cloud of dust had grown.

"Go Ling, now! Keep Kukuh safe, the fate of the world depends on it… go!" he yelled, sending him to the west, towards the Central Water Tribe.

* * *

He turned northwards, looking in the direction of where the great city of Omashu would be, far away from where he was. It was time to execute his plan, with delicate movements of his hands, he created a trail of footprints identical to those the group had left behind. He looked at Ling, who he saw doing the exact opposite, using his earth bending to erase the footprints he and his friends had left. Sipong smiled, knowing that his plan would work perfectly. He ran northwards, creating a long stretching trail of footprints, to lure Manak away from the Avatar he seek to capture.

* * *

He was filled with anger, disbelief and pure frustration that he still hadn't caught up with the Avatar. He looked at the horizon, but he saw nothing that could resemble the fugitive entity. The only thing he saw was an old man, standing calmly a few feet away from him. Manak halted his host, all of the dismounted. The soldiers encircled the old man, spears were drawn, Kun, Manak and Shoqal each had their waterskin within reach.

"Which one of you is the infamous Manak?" the old man spoke up.

"I am him," Manak spoke, stepping forward. He faced the old man directly, staring into his dull eyes. He tried to break the old man, by staring as intimidating as he could, but it had no effect.

"Who might you be, old wreck?" Manak asked condescendingly.

"My name is Sipong, Manak," Sipong answered, "and I'm thrilled to finally meet you."

"Is that so?" Manak asked. "Why would that be?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Sipong retorted. "You've been chasing me ever since I left Gaoling, have you not?"

"I wasn't after you, old man, you know that!" Manak shouted in Sipong's face. He was getting annoyed, the old man was wasting his time. "So why don't you just quit stalling and tell me where the Avatar went. Be honest, and I might let you live."

"He went to a place you can't reach him," Sipong said. He wasn't lying, Manak would never reach Kukuh in the Central Water Tribe, but Manak would interpret it differently; Sipong couldn't help but smirk. "Ba Sing Se," he lied.

Manak narrowed his eyes, and turned around. He walked away from Sipong, laughing loudly.

"Ba Sing Se?" his laugh boomed across the plains. "Do you really think I'm that stupid? I know the Avatar went to Omashu, even though you've tried to wipe out his tracks," Manak said, pointing at the half wiped tracks leading northwards. "I'm too smart for that trick."

"You laugh and brag, but you forget that you've only caught an old man so far," Sipong said, trying to provoke the captain. "I think you're more stupid than you perceive yourself to be!"

That hit a sensitive spot, Manak lashed out with his hand, striking Sipong in the face with a lot of force. Sipong fell to the ground, he had to play his last trump.

_"It is time to show you what I can do, Manak of the water tribe… Prepare to face the power that is a well-trained, experienced Royal Secret Agent!"_ Sipong thought as he fell with his back to the ground. He stretched both his arms out to the ground, stomping the ground with one fist, while the other hand dug into the earth. The stomp rose a small column of earth out of the ground, which launched Sipong into a backflip. This made him hurl a large chunk of rock at a soldier, since his other hand had been dug into the ground. It all happened so fast, that within the blink of an eye, on soldier had his head splattered –with his brain flying out in pieces, while Sipong had gotten on his feet. He stomped the ground with his right foot, and with four short but powerful jabs, Sipong sent four rocks flying in every direction. He was so quick in his moves to take down eight soldiers in total, before Manak or anyone else realized what was happening.

"You have made a mistake, Manak of the water tribe!" Sipong yelled, twisting his feet so he faced Manak sideways. With a few wide circular motions of his arms, he rose large chunks of earth from outside the circle of soldiers. He bent the chunks towards himself, catching four soldiers in its path. Sipong rose a pyramid of hardened earth around him, into which the chunks of earth and the soldiers crashed, crushing the soldiers under the force of impact. Sipong then broke down the pyramid, and hurled its four surfaces to the remaining soldiers. They were now more alert and dodged nearly all of the objects, only one soldier got hit and was killed instantly.

Nineteen men remained, including Manak, who Sipong wanted to kill. If he was able to accomplish that, he would secure Kukuh's further journey towards Omashu. Sipong looked around him, he was still surrounded, which was a disadvantage. He saw the man behind him throw a spear, he raised the ground beneath him in a slight angle, so he was sent flying over the soldier who stood behind him, dodging the spear he threw. That wasn't all, because when he landed, he broke the angled column at its base, so it fell down on the men that had tried to skewer him with his spear.

"_If it had been a javelin, I would have been hit…"_ Sipong realized, scolding himself for not being as alert as he should have been. He launched the two soldiers who now stood next to him into the air by jumping on the ground, squatting and then reversing the downward motion to an upward motion by raising both arms into the air. To be sure that their landing would be fatal, Sipong turned the immediate surrounding ground into a forest of spiky rocks, into which the two poor soldiers fell. It killed them, piercing through their head, heart and other organs.

Manak had to admit, he hadn't expected the old man to be an earth bender of such level. Within a minute, he had halved his host from thirty-two to sixteen. It was getting out of hand, so he had to act. He, Kun and Shoqal sped forward, drawing water from their waterskin. The old man evaded them skillfully, by falling backwards into the earth, to tunnel underneath them and to emerge behind two unfortunate soldiers. He grabbed a knife, hanging from one of the soldiers' belt, slitting both their throats with it.

"_Who are you, old man?"_ Manak wondered. He, Kun and Shoqal split up, trying to attack the old man from different directions. Manak sent out a water whip, but the old man was simply too nimble –Manak ended up hitting Shoqal on his temple with such force, that he knocked the squad leader out.

"I appreciate the help, Manak," Sipong joked, angering Manak even more. It was frustrating to see that the old man had no difficulty fending him off, while he was decimating his host till only five soldiers, including himself, Kun and an unconscious Shoqal. Sipong was tiring fast, however, so Manak and Kun made use of the opportunity to attack simultaneously. The attack backfired when Sipong sent a package of earthy debris flying at Kun, the salvo hit him straight in the face. Blood flowed down from his head, he lied on the ground, moving not a muscle.

"No, Kun!" Manak yelled, lunging himself at Sipong, who knocked back the two non-bender soldiers. He jumped on Sipong's back and started pounding away, but Sipong pulled Manak over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground. Manak found out that Sipong was superior, even though he was getting exhausted. The realization paralyzed Manak to the point that he only could ask:

"Who are you, that you are powerful enough to take us down like that?"

"I am Sipong," Sipong said, raising the knife he'd stolen from one of the soldiers, aiming it for Manak's heart, "agent of his majesties Royal Secret Agency. In the name of Earth King Yi Ming, blessed and mighty, I will hereby sentence you to die!"

A knife plunged through his heart, his eyes widened. He couldn't believe it, how he could die at this moment. His duty hadn't been fulfilled, this couldn't be the end. He wasn't ready yet, he still had one thing to do, something he could nearly touch.

* * *

Manak looked up, feeling the blood drip down his face. He stared in the blank eyes of Sipong, whose face had turned white as the snow falling from the skies in Qaanqa. He then noticed the blade sticking out of Sipong's ribcage. Behind him stood Shoqal, who still had difficulty in standing up straight. Shoqal pulled out his knife from Sipong's back and threw the old man aside. He helped Manak on his feet, after which both stood over Sipong, who muttered his final words.

"Long live the Earth King… all hail the might of the Earth Kingdom and its King."


	15. Chapter 15: Into the Lion's Lair

15. Into the Lion's Lair

* * *

They found themselves in a strange position, walking through the marshlands in their evidently Earth Kingdom clothing. They knew they'd had to do something about that, so they had been looking out for a place to steal some clothing. If they would continue to walk through the marshlands in their own clothes, the tribesmen would get suspicious, since they were most likely at war with the Earth Kingdom now. If they would dress themselves as people from the Central Water Tribe, they wouldn't have to sneak around and they wouldn't risk getting caught. They plowed forward through the mud, in which they stood ankle-deep, until they saw a small village ahead of them. A village meant people, and people meant clothing. The problem was that they'd have to find clothing left for the taking. They had little money, so they couldn't just walk in and buy some clothes, because that could mean they'd be without money halfway to Omashu.

Fortunately, some people had hung their clothes on lines at the back of their houses, right up for the taking, most of them being blue shaded tunics. They moved in closer, avoiding the streets of the little village. The sun had disappeared behind the horizon, most people had left the streets for their homes, but the coast wasn't clear yet. It must be village naivety, to leave the clothes hanging outside of your house, during the night. Kukuh didn't mind, it would make stealing the clothes all the more easy. He had, had some doubts at first, about stealing some clothes, since he was the Avatar after all –in his mind an Avatar shouldn't steal, but he realized that the goal justifies the means. In the end, he would have to steal the clothes in order for him to be safe and able to get to Omashu. They, Kukuh, Sen, Sali and Ling, snuck around the village, to get to its outskirts, where things had gone quiet. No one walked around on the streets, not that it was important, since they'd be moving around behind the houses.

* * *

"Split up and find something you like," Kukuh whispered, "we'll meet up at that tree in a few minutes." Now that Ol'Pong wasn't with them anymore, he had to take charge. It would have been more logical for Ling to take charge, since he was older and the son of a chief, but Ling had thanked for the honor. He said that since Kukuh was the Avatar, he should lead. The group fanned out, Kukuh went straight for the average-sized house in front of him. He jumped over the little wooden fence surrounding the house. He tip-toed forward to the hanging pieces of cloth and browsed through them. He didn't have much choice, most tunics were quite similar, only varying in size. Kukuh found something his size after searching for a while. He picked the tunic from the line and browsed further along the line. It must have been a large family he was stealing from, because the line of clothes seemed to be endless. He took with him some underwear too, because his disguise had to be infallible. He pulled all piece of cloth from the line and tip-toed back to the fence. He jumped over the fence, ran for the tree he had designated as the meeting point and waited for his friends to show up.

* * *

Sali slipped through a few alleyways to get to the house she had noticed earlier. She had seen a tunic hanging around there, which she felt drawn to. She wanted that tunic, it was a beautiful light blue tunic with silver linings. She looked around, the street was empty, she only needed to cross it. She darted to the other side, disappearing into another dark alleyway. She climbed on a low wall, which allowed her to reach for the clothes she was looking for. She snatched it, and a few other things, from the line and put it in her bag. She jumped down and walked towards the street again. She noticed a small problem, two problems to be exact. Two men walked were sitting on a porch, not far down the street from where she was standing. She doubted if she should cross the street and risk getting noticed by the two men, but time was running short. Kukuh and the others would be waiting, and she had gone deep into the village, it would take some time to get to the predetermined meeting place and she couldn't afford taking a detour. She thought no more, but darted forward, hoping for the two men not to notice her. She sprinted into the alleyway on the other side of the road, hid around the corner of a wall and tried to listen in on the two men. They were still talking in the way they had been before she had crossed the road, but Sali couldn't understand what they were saying, they talked in a strange dialect. She felt relieved, because they hadn't noticed her. She could tell, because there was no sudden change in the way the two man had been talking. She continued her way to the rendezvous point, encountering no further problems.

* * *

Ling had no trouble finding anything, he had walked up to a sizeable house, evading the closer located small shacks, because he knew the poorer people would live there. He grabbed a pair of leggings and a tunic. He also took with him a large strand of sarashi, which he figured he could use it to bind around his ankles and wrist.

"That'll look nice," he mumbled to himself, smiling and darting away into the darkness. He ran up to the tree, where Kukuh was already waiting for him.

"I've got what I wanted," Ling said. "Did you find anything?"

"Yup," Kukuh said, pointing at a thick branch of the tree, over which he had hung his stolen clothes.

Sen took the time to choose what he wanted, inspecting every piece of cloth he walked by, thoroughly. One tunic was too coarse, the other was too pale, until he finally found something he liked. Its fabric was soft and beautifully colored dark blue with a white crescent moon symbol as decoration at the lower chest. He found some dark blue, nearly black colored leggings and a few pieces of underwear.

"About time I'd get some new underwear…" Sen mumbled. "Being on the run is killing your clothing over time."

He gently took what he wanted from the line and walked away. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a furry waistcoat, which he deemed to fit nicely with what he had stolen so far. He knew he had little time left, but the ran over to the other house and snatched the waistcoat with him. He ran through the mud, back to the tree, seeing Sali arrive at the tree only seconds before he did.

"You guys got everything?" Kukuh asked, everyone nodded.

"Alright," Kukuh said, "then let's get out of here and find a nice, quiet spot to get changed… doing it here would be too risky and really stupid. Imagine if someone would find out clothes have been stolen and they see us changing clothes here…"

* * *

They walked for an hour, deeper into the marshlands, until Kukuh deemed it safe enough to change clothes. Sali secluded herself, finding a bush to change behind after a long search. The boys didn't have much trouble undressing themselves in front of one another and so they changed clothes much faster than Sali did. Sen was thanked for taking with him so much underwear, because Ling had forgotten to think about that, while Ling shared the long strips of sarashi with Kukuh and Sen. Within a few moments, they had transformed themselves from fugitive Earth Kingdom children, into average water tribe citizens.

"We'll need different haircuts too," Kukuh said. He had noticed that all the water tribe men he had met, had hairstyles that differed from the Earth Kingdom. For instance, the top-knot, like one Ling had, wasn't a mainstream water tribe haircut, with it, Ling would attract too much attention to him. Ling realized it, and took a knife out of his bag. He used it to cut his hair, so he could bind it into a wolf tail. He handed the knife over to Sen, who used it to remove the little hair he had on the sides of his head, leaving him with a semi-mohawk. Kukuh bound strands of his hair together into three braids, which reached his shoulder. They now deemed themselves similar enough to the average water tribe male to go ahead. They waited for Sali, who was now braiding her hair in one single strand. After she finished, she stepped away from the bushes, joining up with her friends again. Their leather boots, whom they had taken with them from Fu Dao, were average enough to not stand out among the tribesmen of the Central Water Tribe, so they were set to continue their journey. Kukuh knew where they'd have to go, Ol'Pong had whispered it to him before they left. They would have to go to some sort of swamp in between a few mountains, but to get there, they'd have to travel through Ron'qen, the capital of the Central Water Tribe. Kukuh didn't feel completely at ease, knowing that they were walking right into the lion's lair, or wolf's lair in this situation, but he figured Ol'Pong would know best. They set out, course plotted for Ron'qen, through all the mud and goo of the stinking marshes.

* * *

It was exciting to be given the honor to carry out one of the first few missions that came with the invasion of the Earth Kingdom by the Central Water Tribe. Kala was eager to teach those Earth Kingdom idiots a lesson or two about power. Akkik didn't look at it that positively, he had seen it as Ghanak's plan to get them out of his proximity for a while. Akkik thought Ghanak was planning something, something he and Kala weren't supposed to find out. So, he had given them a mission which involved recon and raiding villages near the northern border of the Central Water Tribe. They would be busy with their mission for a while, which would give Ghanak enough time to do what he wanted to do without Akkik knowing. If it was something he shouldn't know about, Akkik figured, it would mean his father wouldn't like Ghanak doing that certain thing. If only he knew what Ghanak was up to.

The northern border of the Central Water Tribe with the Earth Kingdom was marked by a little stream running from a hidden spring, all the way to the Nuan Pu Ocean. It is where the marshy plains of the Central Water Tribe turn into the rolling hills of the Omashu province. Those rolling hills, which were more land inwards, turned into grassy plains nearer to the coast. Through those grassy plains, the people of Omashu and Ron'qen had built a highway, the Long Road, to increase trade between the two metropolises. That highway could later serve a better purpose, Akkik reasoned, as the main artery for providing supplies to the besiegers of Omashu.

They hadn't taken the Long Road, because their first target lied in between those rolling hills, which as you would near Omashu, would eventually turn into high mountains, part of the Kolau mountain range. Their mission was simple, get there, eliminate every soldier you can find, capture all healthy boys and men, enslave all healthy girls and women and kill the rest. The village must burn, to send out a message to the king of Omashu –and further along the line, the Earth King. Ghanak had given a specific order to leave one or two victims alive, so that they might spread the word of what would happen if the armies of the Central Water Tribe would arrive at your doorstep. Ghanak aimed for creating chaos within the ranks of the Earth Kingdom, especially in Omashu, because that would make it easier for him to take the city. He would offer king Batu a deal, to fight and let his people be massacred once the city would fall, or to surrender, in which case he would spare the entire population of the city. Akkik knew that was a lie, Ghanak wouldn't spare everyone. The king, the royal family, the high ranking official and the entire upper class would be killed. The king, his family and the officials to make sure no organized rebellion would ensue, the upper class to provide the army with enough booty to keep all the soldiers happy. Of course, the king would most likely refuse the offer at first hand, but that's where all those survivors came in handy. They would turn the population of the city against its king, forcing him to accept the offer and let the water tribe armies into the city.

Having reached the top of just another hill, the small group of twenty soldiers, including Akkik and Kala, looked over a small village. There was their first target, a place full of helpless Earth Kingdom citizens. It looked like there were some soldiers stationed around the village, which they hadn't expected. War was declared not long ago, Batu couldn't have moved his forces close to the Central Water Tribe border, unless he had expected a declaration of war from Ghanak. They weren't with many, Akkik counted five of them, but that didn't mean a larger army could be stationed beyond the next hill. Their mission had just gotten more complicated, because not only did they have to take out some Earth Kingdom soldiers, but they would have to do so fast enough to prevent anyone from sending some sort of signal. If one of those soldiers was able to signal for help, and the Earth Kingdom armies would be stationed nearby, their mission would fail. Failure wasn't an option, they were at war and every little mistake could cost them a lot of manpower, if not the war. How failure of their mission would influence the war, Akkik didn't know, but the aforementioned rule applied to everything in his book.

Akkik gathered every soldier around and told them his strategy.

"Men, listen up," he spoke; in response, everyone got together in a small circle. "I've counted five hostiles in the village, we'll need to take them out first before we can execute the rest of our mission. We could try an all-out assault and hope the best, but I think that's too risky and it would give the villagers enough room for escape. I say we split up in two groups, one to take down those hostiles, while the other group encircles the village to make sure no one gets out."

"I will need four volunteers to sneak into the village with me, to take those hostiles down," Akkik said.

"Sir," a man named Kasano spoke. "Let me lead the group tasked to take those filthy Earth Kingdom soldiers down, you shouldn't risk your life."

"Silence," Akkik said venomously. "You don't decide about what I should, or shouldn't do!"

Kasano bowed his head and remained silent. Kala and Qushak volunteered to go with Akkik, after which two other warriors stepped in as well. Akkik observed the remaining fifteen warriors he had to his disposal. Most of them were inexperienced, but they were obedient. He chose Kasano as their group leader, since Kasano, even though he spoke out against the prince, was an experienced and strategically inclined warrior and the most matured of all.

"Kasano," Akkik spoke, "encircle the village, but do so without showing yourself. Once people start fleeing the village, you may reveal yourself, because by that time, I shall have taken those hostiles down."

"As you command," Kasano said obediently, gesturing his squad to come with him. They snuck downhill, leaving Akkik, Kala, Qushak and the two other soldiers on the hill.

"Your plan is almost infallible," Kala said, "if it weren't impossible for us to get to the village without getting spotted by those Earth Kingdom soldiers."

"I've thought that through already," Akkik said. "I've noticed a blind spot that we can exploit if we approach the village from the south-west. We'll need to move fast, but I think that's nothing the four of you can't handle."

"What comes next?" Qushak asked. Qushak was a talented water bender Kala befriended once they met in the Central Water Tribe army. Akkik didn't like him that much, he was a bit too boastful for his liking. Qushak was talented, he had to admit that, but the problem was that Qushak knew it all too well. Instead of being humble and thankful to be able to serve his tribe, Qushak's opinion was that the Central Water Tribe should be thanking him for wanting to join its ranks. Pathetic, according to Akkik, even more so since Qushak didn't have a choice. Qushak had been drafted into the army, since he was fifteen. The Central Water Tribe had implemented a system in which youngsters could, after reaching adulthood at the age of twelve, join the army, but they could only be drafted into the army when they reached the age of fifteen. On that matter, the Southern Water Tribe was more straightforward, its laws allowing twelve year olds to be drafted too. The Central Water Tribe wasn't much of a tribe anymore, it was a state comparable to the Fire Nation, where being a warrior wasn't a common good anymore. In all the water tribes, boys used to be trained from the moment they could walk, to become a warrior, but in the Central Water Tribe, people favored the arts over the art of warfare. He would like to find out how that would make its soldiers function during a war.

* * *

He had been scorned for his failure, stripped of his honor, he had travelled miles without results and now, he had been humiliated by an old man. He started out with a host of fifty, now he only had five men left and the Avatar was nowhere to be seen.

"The man was a cunning snake," Shoqal noted as they rode northwards, towards Omashu. Shoqal held the leash of Kun's polar dog, because Kun himself was still unconscious. Manak checked if he hadn't fallen from his polar dog every now and then.

"Not just cunning," Manak replied, "also skilled and very dangerous. The man took down almost the entire squad…"

"How's the youngster doing?" Shoqal asked.

"Why would you care?"

"He might not be of my tribe, but I still consider him a brother," Shoqal answered. "I don't share the bond you have with him of course, but is that necessary for me to be able to ask how a brother in arms is doing?"

"I dislike your tone, captain," Manak said slowly. "Don't forget you're still talking to your superior."

"My only superior is chief Ghanak, captain Manak," Shoqal retorted. Manak did not respond, Shoqal had a point. Besides, he was discharged, so he had no authority over Shoqal, even if the captain had been in service of the Southern Water Tribe.

Manak looked over the far stretching plains in front of him. At the horizon, he could see the first hills appear. Manak hoped he would be able to spot the Avatar from the hills, he couldn't see anyone but himself and his crew on the plains.

"_Where have you gone Avatar?"_ he wondered. _"The old man didn't slow us down that much… I should've been able to see you by now…"_ He wondered what new trick the Avatar had played on him, had he used his powerful bending to speed up him and his friend when he was too busy fighting the old man, or had he made himself a hiding place under the ground?

"_Should I go back? No… that's too risky. If the Avatar is on the other side of those hills, he's getting too close to Omashu for my liking… If I can't see the Avatar from that hill, I'll turn back and scour the plains, starting at the place where their tracks ended. They probably used earth bending to erase the tracks they left, because the old man gave them enough time for it…"_

"Shoqal," Manak said, "once we get to those hills over there, I will turn back if we can't see the Avatar from there."

"Do you think he has tricked us into thinking he went to Omashu?" Shoqal asked.

"I have my suspicions, but I'm not completely sure. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about," Manak said. "I want you to bring Kun back to Ron'qen."

"Very well," Shoqal said, much to Manak's surprise. "He needs medical attention, otherwise he might die."

"Thank you, Shoqal," Manak said, looking at Kun for another time. His condition hadn't changed, the boy was still unconscious, but the bleeding from the back of his head had stopped. The bleeding, caused when Kun fell to the ground, wasn't Manak's point of concern. Kun had been struck on his temple, if the impact had been too forceful, Kun might have gotten brain damage. They were closing in on the hills, Manak had a funny feeling, like he was about to see something he hadn't expected.

* * *

After they'd gotten back on the road, the group was finally making progress through the Central Water Tribe. They were nearing in on Ron'qen from the north, they had to go around a mountain range to get to the city, Kukuh guessed the swamp they were heading for was situated beyond the mountain range. They were near it, the place they should have been avoiding. They were nearing the seat of a person who wanted one of them dead, or at least captured. It felt strange to be marching into the city, knowing that at every corner, there would be someone that wanted to either kill or capture all of them, not only because Kukuh was the Avatar, but because they could be seen as spies for the Earth Kingdom. They entered the city through westernmost northern gate, the city had three gates at its northern side, after they'd climbed a long but low staircase. The staircase itself had steps so large, that every step had enough place for two platypus bears to sleep on, while the height between steps wasn't much more than the length of a grown man's thumb. The city was built higher than the marshes around it, Kukuh wondered why they'd built the city that way. The city had looked impressive from the outside, it looked like it was completely built out of marble, but the walls consisted of white stones, with only the insides of the gates being made out of marble. Marble was more often used inside the city, so it seemed. Statues, pillars, even entire houses made out of marble. Some parts of the city were entirely roofed, where market stalls would be scattered all over the street. Everywhere they went, they would see either colorful banners, green plants, or smell aromatic flowers. It was a strange city at the same time, there were no guards, no beggars and everyone looked genuinely happy. No one seemed to be sad or depressed, or needy in any way. Musicians and poets crooned patriotic songs on the streets, acrobats and dancers performed only small plazas, where painters would paint them and the people watching them. On other plazas, which were often a bit larger and had been lowered, scholars would present their theses and the listeners could give comments freely, after which a debate between the scholar and his audience would start.

"Why are people staring at us?" Ling wondered out loud.

"People don't know us," Sen said. He too had noticed the stares, but unlike Ling, it didn't get on his nerves.

"We should split up," Kukuh said. "We would draw less attention to ourselves on our own."

"Why would that be?" Sali asked.

"A group of unknown people stands out more than only one unknown person," Kukuh explained. "If we split up, no one will really notice us."

"Alright, so we meet at the eastern gate?"

"Yes, outside the eastern gate. If there are multiple gates, move to the southernmost gate, everyone okay with that?" Kukuh inquired, but he got no answer. Sen and Ling had already sped off and Sali was walking away.

"Okay then…" Kukuh mumbled, walking down taking a different route from his friends.

* * *

It didn't take Ling long to run into Sali, it was after taking only two turns. They decided to stick together, against Kukuh's words, for multiple reasons. They walked down the streets of Ron'qen together, past market stalls with all kinds of delicious foods and beautiful jewelry. Ling took out a small pouch with Sipong's money, which the old man had given him prior to his sacrifice. It wasn't much, but he might be able to buy something nice. He walked up to an exchange stall, where he turned his Earth Kingdom coins in for Ron'qen's currency. The owner of the stall stared at Ling intently, wondering why the boy had Earth Kingdom currency with him. Ling didn't panic, but told the man at the stall that he was on an expedition through the Earth Kingdom, but the war had forced him to go back home. The man believed him and handed Ling the money.

"What do you want to do with that?" Sali asked. In response, Ling walked up to a jewelry stall and bought Sali a necklace.

"Here," Ling said, standing behind Sali and putting on her necklace. "Do you like it?"

"Yes, I do… but why did you buy it?" she asked suprisedly.

"You know why…" Ling answered.

Sali smirked, she knew, but because it made her feel great to hear it, she said: "Oh… maybe I've forgotten…"

Ling hugged her from behind, resting his head on her shoulder, whispering in her ear: "I bought it because I like you."

"How much?" Sali asked sweetly.

"A lot," Ling said, chuckling.

"Ah, look at that," a passerby said to his friend. "Young love blossoming in our great city. This is truly a great time to live in, a time of peace and love."

"Oh, leave the two be, the young man just proposed to his girl, give them some space to enjoy this moment," the friend scolded.

"They think you've proposed to me," Sali chuckled.

"Is that water tribe culture or something?" Ling asked, feeling puzzled.

"Yes, but don't worry, I won't hold you to your proposal," Sali joked, nudging him playfully with her elbow.

"Very funny," Ling chuckled. "Come on, let's get to the gate."

"Wait, Ling," Sali said, sounding a lot more serious. She pulled him into one of the many small gardens in the city. "We need to talk about something."

"About what?"

"When are we going to tell Sen and Kukuh about us?" she asked.

"Why do you sound so worry, are you afraid of what they might say?" he asked.

"No… but so far we've kept it a secret from them, I mean, what would they think once we tell them how long we've…" she was interrupted by Ling, who put a finger on her mouth and hushed her.

"Don't you worry so much," he said. "They'll be happy for us, we'll only need to wait for the right moment to tell them."

They went to the eastern gate afterwards. There were two, so, as Kukuh had told them to do, they waited at the southernmost gate. After a while, Sen walked through the gate and met up with them. He was looking especially happy, like something really nice had happened to him, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he asked where Kukuh was. The Avatar hadn't met up with them yet, he was still in the city.

* * *

_"This is where I could've been living for the rest of my life, had I taken the deal that squad leader offered me some time ago,"_ Kukuh thought, absorbing everything around him. _"I don't think I would've liked living here my entire life… things are a bit too perfect here, for my liking. I wonder how the chief achieved this state of perfection in his city… where did he leave all the beggars, all the orphans, all the poor? Has he locked them away from the city, do they live in the villages around the city, like the one we've stolen our clothes from, or are there simply no poor people in the Central Water Tribe?"_

He walked towards one of the plazas where a scholar was delivering a speech about poverty in the Central Water Tribe. He was surprised to hear that the people from the Central Water Tribe saw the lack of interest in the arts was seen as poverty. Kukuh took some time to listen to the scholar, who praised the Central Water Tribe system. All the income generated by selling the two main export products, which was a state affair, was divided under all citizens equally. Those men and women who would normally have been poor, had more than enough to support their families and be considered the richest amongst the lower classes, while the more wealthy had become the richest people in the world. They were praised as well, the overly wealthy, because they, allegedly, invested most of their wealth in the city, or the tribe.

"_Maybe the water tribes aren't as bad as I thought… if the other tribes are like this… But why would they inflict such horrors on the Earth Kingdom if they are so perfect as they picture themselves to be?"_ Kukuh wondered. A debate between the scholar and a listener ensued; Kukuh waited for the to be finished so he could ask the question he had to the scholar in private. He followed the scholar, after the debate was finished, to a tea house. There, just before he was to ask his question to the scholar, another man got into a conversation with the scholar. Kukuh tried to listen in, but he was unable to due to the interference from the chatter in the background. The conversation between the scholar and the man was heating up, they were disagreeing on something and it angered both of them. Kukuh decided to step in, to help resolve the issue between the two men.

"May I ask what the two of you are discussing?" Kukuh asked, the two men looked at him, annoyed by his interruption.

"Go away kid, this discussion is between two intelligent adults, not for children who were on the breast only a few days," the scholar said.

"No," the other man said, "tell the kid and let him decide who is right."

"How can a kid make the right decision between a myth and a justifiable theory supported by many scholars, if not all of them?" the scholar retorted.

"You're just afraid he will say you're wrong," the man said, grinning broadly.

"Just tell me both your stories," Kukuh urged.

"Very well then," the scholar sighed, annoyed by the entire situation. "We were discussing the origin of the name of our magnificent city, Ron'qen. For a long time, our people thought the name came into existence when two of the city's founders merged their names together. However, late studies of have discovered the true origins of the name Ron'qen. After reading a few scriptures from the library of Omashu, scholars found out the people of old used to call Ron'qen the City. During winter, the ancient tribesmen built igloos outside of the city wall to live in, till the snow would melt, to feel in touch with the Northern Water Tribe, from where they originated. During winter, the City would look twice as large as it was during summer. The people of the Earth Kingdom started to call the City, Rongcheng, because a part of the city would melt after winter. Over time, the tribesmen adopted the name, but wrote it differently, namely as Ron'qen. That explains why there are so many pronunciations of the city's name in our tribe, some say it in one of the five water tribe dialects, others stay with the Earth Kingdom pronunciation."

"That is where I disagree with the scholar," the man said. "He based his entire theory on Earth Kingdom propaganda. The truth is that the spirits once told our great ancestors, Ronak and Ta'qen, to give our glorious city the name Ron'qen."

"Why is all this relevant?" Kukuh asked, the two men were surprised he asked.

"Because," the scholar said indignantly, "there are propaganda posters all around the city promoting that myth… In response, I held my speech to inform the people of Ron'qen about the truth."

"Okay, I can see why the two of you don't agree with one another, but is it necessary to fight over it?" Kukuh asked. "I mean, I understand both of your viewpoints, but I think the two of you don't understand each other."

"What do you mean, kid?" the man asked.

"I think that you," he pointed at the scholar, "should understand that in propaganda, you've got to deliver a message that is far better than the truth to recruit more soldiers. If they'd put down your theory on that poster, would many young men have joined the army?"

"Very few, but…" the scholar wanted to protest, but Kukuh didn't let him.

"On the other hand, you…" he turned to the man, "need to understand that the academic society wants to deliver the truth to the people."

"So you agree with me that I am right?" the scholar asked, feeling like he'd won the discussion.

"I don't think that's the point. My point is that you should respect each other's views and understand that for the posters, lies might be more effective, whilst in the academic world, the truth should be told. Just don't go mix the two things up, because that won't work and result in needless discussions like the two of you had moments ago."

The two man sat there, looking at him. After a while, the scholar said: "You're right… thank you for pointing both our wrongs out…"

"Happy to help," Kukuh said, walking away from the two men, onto the streets of Ron'qen. He walked straight towards the gate, where he knew his friends would be waiting.

* * *

Silently they moved towards the south-western part of the target village, at high pace. Moving downhill was the easiest part, there were a lot of possibilities to hide, but moving across the plains, even though it was only a few hundred feet, was the hardest part. They hid behind a large boulder, observing their target. Every two minutes, one of the soldiers would check up to see if someone was approaching the village.

"Alright, we've got two minutes. One will stay behind to wait for that soldier and take him down, the others will move into the village and neutralize the other hostiles," Akkik said. He waited for the soldier to pass again, then he darted forward towards the village. The rest followed him, keeping a low profile but still sprinting as fast as they could. They reached the wall of the house in the southwestern part of the village. One of the soldiers stayed behind, Akkik, Kala and two others went into the village. They'd only walked across the corner when they heard a thud. They knew one of the four soldiers had been neutralized. The soldier who stayed behind would stay there, just in case another soldier would come to check up on his comrade. That seemed to be a good call, because they saw another soldier heading that way. The soldier came from a large hall in the center of the village, so Akkik figured that's where the other soldiers went; he hadn't seen the three remaining soldiers since they'd gotten down from the hill.

"The building has two doors, from what I can see from here. I think we'd better take the side door," Akkik said. The four of them walked up to the door, Akkik listened if he could hear someone talking behind it. He heard nothing, but he didn't feel at ease, not as confident as he should be.

"We move in quietly, but if we get spotted, someone should move around to the front door, to make sure no soldier escapes," Akkik said. Kala nodded, she told Akkik that she would make sure no one would leave through the front door. Akkik slowly opened the door, peeked through the small opening. There was no one there, to his relief, so he tip-toed inside, followed by the three others. Akkik observed the room he was in, it was a small cozy room with a low ceiling. Akkik looked at a desk, filled with all kind of military papers.

"Gentlemen," he said, "milady, we've found the office of the commanding officer…"

"Sir," a soldier said, "someone is approaching."

"All hide," Akkik said. Kala hid under the desk, the two soldiers hid in a closet. Akkik himself moved towards the door, an waited around the corner. The door inwards, effectively hiding Akkik. One man passed through, Akkik reasoned that it was the commanding officer, who else would dare to come into the officer's office. He slowly closed the door behind the man's back and then walked up to him. Without any doubt, he took his knife from his belt and slit the man's throat. Blood spurted from the wound, all over the desk, covering all the papers in blood. Then the door was smashed open, a soldier had caught them.

"Captain!" he yelled, "Intruders!"

The soldier reacted immediately by launching two rocks at Akkik. He dodged them, but they hit the closet in which two soldiers were hiding. The closet was completely destroyed and the soldiers were killed under the weight of the rocks and by the wounds caused by all those large, wooden splinters.

"Kala, door!" Akkik yelled, sprinting after the soldier who'd run further into the building.

Kala tossed the desk over and ran outside through the side door. She ran for the front door, which opened at the moment she'd gotten to it. Another soldier ran outside, which must have been the captain. The captain spotted her, and she noticed he was making a split-second decision between running and fighting. He chose to fight, instead of taking his chances and try to warn the main army. He got into a basic earth bending stance, and waited. Villagers saw what was happening, chaos ensued immediately. Kala was distracted by it for only a second, but that was time enough for the captain. He launched a rock at her and she noticed it so late that she could only barely dodge it. She dodged it by letting herself fall to her side, but that gave the captain an advantage. The captain took the advantage and erected an earthen column which struck Kala in the side, throwing her into the wooden wall of the building the captain had just exited. The protruding roof, which was partially rotten, came crushing down on her. She noticed she had gotten stuck under the wood, and the captain noticed it too. He took up the spear he'd dropped earlier, before the start of their short fight. He walked towards her, spear pointing at her chest.

Suddenly, a spike of ice penetrated the back of the captain and stuck out of his chest, blood and little bits of flesh dripped down on the ground. The spike turned into a hook and the captain was reeled in, falling at the feet of Kasano, who had ordered the rest of the troops to enter the village and start taking prisoners. What had given the captain the edge during their short fight, had become his downfall, because Kasano had noticed the ensued chaos in the village. He had interpreted it correctly and come to Kala's aid.

Akkik chased the soldier through the building, seeing the captain exit through the front door from the corner of his eyes. He couldn't worry himself with that problem, that was something Kala could handle. The soldier ran up the stairs, its steps cracking under his weight. Akkik followed him to the attic, but when he'd gotten there, he had lost sight of the soldier. Everything was covered in dust and webs, so all Akkik needed to do was follow the footprints the soldier had left. He followed them, until the prints led up to the wall.

"What the…"

He was taken down by the weight of the soldier who jumped on him from a wooden beam. Lying on his stomach, he had lost all control over the situation. The soldier was in full control, and he could hear him unsheathing a knife. He cut something, it sounded like rope and then tried to bind his wrists together, while hissing in Akkik's ears:

"I know I'm done for, so I'm going to make my last moments alive enjoyable…"

Adrenaline kicked in as the soldier grabbed his wrist. He twisted his own wrist slightly, so he grabbed the soldiers wrist instead. With a forceful jerk, the threw the soldier to the ground. The soldier lashed at him with his knife instantly, had he not rolled on his side, Akkik would have a deep scar on his face. Akkik got onto his knees and lunged at the soldier, knocking the knife out of the soldier's hand. He punched the soldier in his face, three times, then put his knee on the man's throat. Under the weight of his body, Akkik crushed the man's windpipe. Akkik stood up and left the man to die alone.

He got outside and oversaw the process of rounding everything up. Kasano had done well, his squad had taken every person of worth prisoner. He wasn't happy with their mission though, because they'd already lost two men. He held a headcount, to see if others had died, but that didn't seem to be the case. Kala seemed to be roughed up and Qushak, who had taken down two soldiers on guard duty, had a wound on his shoulder.

"Prince Akkik," Kasano called after ordering all the prisoners to be taken away to the Central Water Tribe by three men. Akkik approached Kasano, who was standing beside a line of all remaining villagers. "You know what you need to do with them…" Kasano noted.

"Indeed…" Akkik said, sounding somewhat sad. "Set the middle aged man and the older woman free," he commanded. They were brought to him and he told them to run to Omashu and tell everyone there what happened. Then he ordered Kasano and the troops to kill all the remaining villagers.

"Blood must flow…" he whispered, "by the decree of the fathers of our fathers…"

* * *

_"Only a few more steps, then I know…"_ Manak thought as he and his little gang rode up the hill. He didn't expect to see the Avatar from the hill, even though he hoped it, but what he did see surpassed everything he could have possibly imagined. The valley at the hill's foot was filled with tents, soldiers and spiked salamander pens.

"What in the…"

"An army camp…!" Shoqal exclaimed. He was as surprised as Manak was, but whereas Manak was filled with anxiety, Shoqal was filled with joy.

"_Well… I guess the Avatar has been caught by Ghanak…"_

Manak and Shoqal rode down the hill, into the camp. When they'd gotten into the valley, Manak became more aware of the size of the camp.

"Has Ghanak moved all his troops here?" Manak asked.

"It seems so," Shoqal answered, "but I've got no idea why he'd do that."

"Oh I know why he did it," Manak said. "He expected me to fail from the start, so he moved all his forces here to capture the Avatar once he came along."

"You think chief Ghanak has taken the Avatar captive?" Shoqal asked. The scout doubted it, as became evident from the tone of his voice.

"I don't know for sure, but I doubt the Avatar was able to outrun both us and this huge army," Manak replied.

"Good point," Shoqal admitted.

"Shoqal, would you please bring Kun to the infirmary? I think I must have a little meeting with chief Ghanak to inquire if he has captured the Avatar," Manak said.

"Alright Manak, I will take care of your young friend, but I expect you to repay me one time in the future," Shoqal said. Manak agreed with Shoqal, promising him to repay him one day. Their roads split, Shoqal rode to the east, knowing from experience that the infirmary would be located there, while Manak kept going north, towards a large clearing with the army camp. He dismounted his polar dog and handed his pet over to a guard near the chief's tent. He walked towards the tent, but a guard kept him from entering.

"What do you think you're doing?" the guard asked condescendingly.

"I need to speak to the chief, what other business would I have here?" Manak responded in a tone that the guard interpreted as provocative.

"Watch your tongue soldier," he hissed, pointing his spear at Manak's chest.

"I think you shouldn't be pointing your weapon at a superior," Manak said, the guard was taken aback a little. "Especially since I have important news for chief Ghanak concerning the Avatar."

The word Avatar was the magic word, because the guard immediately let him through. Manak walked into Ghanak's tent, interrupting the talks the chief had with one of his generals. He wasn't angered, instead he sent the general away to have a private conversation with Manak.

"Well, well, the champion returns," Ghanak said teasingly. "I wonder though, if he returns as a victorious champion, or as a defeated one."

"Wouldn't you know?" Manak asked.

"What is that supposed to mean, Manak?"

"You know exactly what I mean, you've known from the start I was after the Avatar," Ghanak smirked, confirming what Manak said. "You also know I haven't caught him, because you've done so yourself."

"What… you haven't caught him?" Ghanak asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

"No… haven't you?"

"If you haven't caught him, and since the Avatar hasn't passed through here… where has he gone?" Ghanak wondered. The chief got up from behind his desk and started pacing around, trying to think.

"Then what I thought before is true…" Manak mumbled.

"And what is that?" Ghanak asked, hearing what Manak mumbled.

"He probably hid himself, and his friends, back at the plains…" Manak answered.

"How could that happen right under your nose?!" Ghanak asked enraged.

"Well, that's something else you wouldn't like to hear…" Manak answered. "It's shameful really, I myself haven't gotten over it."

"Over what?" Ghanak asked slowly, bracing himself for another mental blow.

"We were chasing the Avatar along the trail he'd left, until a single person appeared at the horizon. At first, I thought the Avatar was waiting for me, to give his friends enough time to get away, but it turned out to be an old man. The old man, however, turned out to be a Secret Royal Agent…" Manak explained.

"A Secret Royal Agent?" Ghanak scoffed. "Like I'm going to believe that." In response Manak threw a locket he'd taken from the agent's body on Ghanak's desk. The chief picked it up, inspected the trinket and took everything back he had said.

"How many did you lose?" the chief asked bitterly.

"Forty-six," Manak answered, bowing his head. "We had to leave a wounded man at Zhong Xing after the Avatar killed eighteen soldiers when they caught him in the forest."

"How?" the chief asked.

"The Avatar State," Manak answered. Ghanak's face turned white, the chief remembered the night all chiefs came together at the South Pole. He had witnessed Avatar Kalak in the Avatar State, he knew how powerful the Avatar State was from experience. That night, Ghanak had thought he would die.

"Shall I go back to scour the plains?" Manak asked.

"No…" Ghanak mumbled after considering it for a while.

"No, the Avatar has his destination set out. He gambled on Omashu, so if we surround the city, before the Avatar gets there, he will have no choice but to turn himself over, or take the chance to sneak through our ranks. I assure you, he will try to do the latter thing and we will catch him when he tries to do so."

"So we will join forces," Manak concluded.

"We will, captain Manak," Ghanak said. "I've taken some time to find out why Adok sent you to capture the Avatar. I know he has discharged you…" Manak said nothing, but awaited the chief's judgment. "However, I think Adok made a stupid move, so I offer you a job as my main advisor, and the position of a special agent within my army. What do you say?"

Manak considered it, he thought it would be a nice change and a good distraction for the time being. However, his mission was to restore his honor and place in the southern hierarchy, but that could wait for a while.

"Very well, I accept."

* * *

From Ron'qen, it had been a two day walk to the swamp, not because it was located so far away, but because you needed to take a lot of detours around impassable marches and quicksand to get there. So, after two days, when they finally stood at the swamp's outskirts, they felt a sense of accomplishment. The swamp was located in the middle of a mountain range, you could only get there on foot if you'd take the few mountain passes that led to it, or through the pass Kukuh, Sen, Sali and Ling had chosen. That pass didn't involve climbing mountains, you could basically walk into the swamp. Hadn't it been for the trees, you wouldn't be able to notice the swamp would begin there.

"Well guys," Kukuh said, "here goes nothing," as he jumped down from an earthen protrusion, into the swampy waters. The rest followed and so they began to wade deeper into the swamp, which would be their hideout for some time. A white fog hang over the water, creatures swam past their legs, freaking Sen, Sali and Ling out. Kukuh paid no attention to it, even though he didn't feel comfortable in the swamp. He had to fight himself through this phase, like he had to so many times before.

* * *

**AN: **Please review this chapter (or other chapters) and don't forget to check out Buizel Rubeda's _Avatar: The Moon Warrior_

Next week's chapter: Belly of the Beast


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